The Seal of Shindoshi
by Azreal
Summary: YAOI, AU, Heero Yuy and five companions are on a journey to beat a legendary warrior named Shindoshi, lest the world be destroyed....*CHAPTER 11 UP FINALLY!!*
1. Youma no Ouji (Prince of Demons)

The Seal of Shindoshi 

The Seal of Shindoshi

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me, nor do the characters. Anything else (plot line, other characters, etc) are mine. Also, I am not very good at Japanese, so if there is anything here in Japanese that is totally off, please tell me so I can correct it. Also, this story contains yaoi/yuri, also known as "homosexuality." Oh yeah, and I have no idea what "Shindoshi" really means.

Warnings: Blatant Alternate Universe, swearing, OOC, supernatural, magic, war, etc. Other than that, not much. However, if you find this chapter offensive, do not read further.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

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"The weight of this sad time we must obey, 

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

—Shakespeare's "King Lear"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

"The Magic is in me—the Magic is in me. It's in every one of us."

—The Secret Garden

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

Prologue—Youma no Ouji (Prince of Demons)

The Prince of Demons sat in his private office, staring at the mirror before him. He was dressed in a silk green shirt that laced up the front and tight, black leather pants with equally black boots and a pair of black gloves. He had unruly dark brown hair, and cold, unexpressive cobalt blue eyes. His skin was lightly tanned, and he had a large tattoo of a snake crawling up his arm. His desk was made of stone, as well as all the shelves in the room. Books of all sizes, colours and subjects lined the shelves, along with many ancient, magical artifacts. The mirror he stared at was elegant, body-length, and made completely of silver, with symbols and runes carved all over it.

A light blue, transparent face floated within the glass, eyes closed as a strange mist curled and twisted around it. Hands folded primly before him, back straight, face blank and eyes unblinking, the Prince watched as the ghostly apparition before him opened it's glowing green eyes and looked at him.

"Master," it said in an echoing voice full of respect. "How may I serve you?"

"Tell me my future," the young Prince demanded, voice cold. The apparition frowned.

"Master, you know I cannot directly tell you your future," the mirror replied. The Prince frowned darkly, and his hands gripped the edge of the desk so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"You will tell me," he snarled, voice dripping with venom. The mirror sighed, almost forlornly.

"Very well, Master," it said, resigned. "But I cannot directly tell you. You must solves this riddle on your own."

The Prince nodded.

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"Upon the eve of the blood red moons,

Find ye one of the Great God's runes,

Your people die from ten vile plagues

A challenge, whom sent by only vague,

The first Seal broken that must be set,

Shindoshi released, the immortals fret,

Journey forth from castle cold and hard,

To lands from near and from afar,

Gather the weapons ye need to use,

Your companions, four you must choose,

All the runes must come together,

And only then shalt ye rule forever,

With Conquest, Pestilence, Death and War

Without them ye shalt be no more

Find the Gods and seek their aid,

And from there shalt your world be made

Shindoshi comes at long last,

Yet still, the demons run as just as fast."

The apparition paused for a moment. "Master, that is all I can say," it finally said, lowering its eyes. "I am forbidden to speak any more." The Prince nodded, still frowning as he looked at his hands.

"'Ten vile plagues,'" he repeated, frowning. He looked up again. "A journey?" The mirror nodded, silent. The Prince sighed and waved his hand in dismissal. "Arigato. You may go now."

"Thank you, Master," the ghostly face in the mirror whispered, vanishing.

The Prince of Demons frowned as he stood from his chair and moved to the window, gazing out at his dark city of stone. A deep sigh escaped him.

"Seek the aid of the Gods," he mumbled, his eyes shifting from the city to the stars above, staring at the twin moons that looked like large eyes glaring at him from above. 

Heero Yuy, Prince of Demons, stood in front of his window for the rest of the night, the odd nagging feeling that had been plaguing him all night growing worse by the second.

* * * * * * * * * *

Three days after Heero conversed with the ghost of the mirror, the twin moons rose blood red in the velvet black sky. The Prince of Demons watched in horror as the clouds parted to reveal the bloody globes, dark red blots against the night sky. His cobalt eyes were wide as he stared, unbelieving. For a long while he just stared, lost in thought and puzzling over what he had been told three days before. The moons had risen red, but he had not yet seen the 'rune of the Great Gods,' so he wasn't too worried. He was surprised, but not worried yet.

As he turned around, there was a burning pain in his hand. He screamed in surprise and pain, clutching his hand and hissing from the pain. Smoke began to curl up from his palm, between his fingers, as blood slowly dripped onto the floor. He growled, shaking his hand roughly as he sought to cool it off, eyes narrowed. Spinning on his heel, he turned and ran for the sink, dunking his hand into the cool water and sighing as the pain slowly abided.

Growling to himself, he wondered just what had happened. He had cast no spell, nor had he touched anything of his magic. No ward had been placed in the middle of the room that he might have accidentally activated so what had happened?

Slowly, painfully, as though the water was pulling at his skin, Heero took his hand out of the liquid and turned it over. He gasped in shock at what was burned into the palm of his hand.

lyep

It was a blend of the symbols of Fung Wei, the God of Conquest of the Eastern Lands, Gideon, the God of War of the Southern Lands, Silas, the God of Pestilence of the West, and Eurynome, God of Death in the North. Heero stared in utter shock as his hand continued to smoke and his flesh bubbled slightly around the wound. 

Fung Wei was one of the greatest Gods there was, and had much power. Highly respected and widely worshipped, the God of Conquest was know for avenging the wronged, and was also called the God of Justice and Honour. He was also known for being fickle in whose side he favoured during war. He would give victory to one side, and the next day would favour the other. Many believed that he was called upon by men on both sides, and so served justice to those on both sides who were wrong. He had no allegiance, and followed no one's orders.

Silas, as well as being known as the God of Pestilence, was also the God of Silence. He plagued the world with epidemics and curses, being the God who forced the humans to rise up. He murdered many with his diseases and scourges, and, simply put, hurried humans on their way to war. He caused unrest among them with the deaths of their families, caused many to die slow, painful deaths, adding more disease to the rest of the world, and silenced many with plagues that rotted the flesh before actual death.

Gideon was known as well as Fung Wei, as he was the God of War. On whims, he plotted against humanity and caused great massacres. He held no pity for humans, for his job was to 'thin the herd' and make the rest of the world clearer so that more children would be born. He usually waited until the last moment to start a war, when there were almost too many people to support the Earth. He waited for the unrest among human slaves to be strong enough to rise against their masters, and only then, when the humans were ready, did he send them to war.

Eurynome, the God of Death, was the most well-known Gods there was. It was told that no one escaped him—once they saw him, that was the last thing they would ever see. No one who met him lived, and so could not tell any what kind of God he was. Eurynome was the most feared, and yet one of the most called-upon Gods, for he was always being asked to kill someone, to cut the strings of their lifeline. It seemed, as tales tell, that Eurynome was never out of work.

Seeing the four symbols emblazoned together on the palm of his hand, Heero felt absolute terror wash over him. It was disrespectful to keep the runes of four great gods integrated together, as they were separate beings and deserved their own recognition. Surely they would strike him down for this…a thought occurred to him.

'The future predicted is coming true,' he thought, trembling slightly. 'The ten vile plagues come next, if what the mirror told me was true.'

Slowly, Heero turned away from the window. He had to wrap his hand so that his advisors would not see the runes upon his palm. If they did, he was sure they would call him a heretic, or a worshipper of the demon gods. He did not need his Kingdom to fall apart for something that happened to him which he did not understand. Sighing deeply, Heero slipped from the room and into the hall, not once looking behind him and out the window.

Had he looked, he would have seen the rivers and the castle's downspouts spilling forth water as thick and red as blood…

To be continued…

Questions, comments, flames, praise, whatever, send to pippin_elf@yahoo.com. All criticism is appreciated, just please be nice to me, k? Thanx!


	2. Chapter One-Chinmoku no Senshi (Soldier ...

Chapter One—Chinmoku no Senshi (Soldier of Silence) 

Chapter One—Chinmoku no Senshi (Soldier of Silence)

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!!

Warnings: Same as last, just look at the first fic.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

"The weight of this sad time we must obey, 

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

—Shakespeare's "King Lear"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

"The Magic is in me—the Magic is in me. It's in every one of us."

—The Secret Garden

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter One—Chinmoku no Senshi (Soldier of Silence)

__

"My little one, the time has come for you to leave the safety of the Temple. You have learned enough, trained enough, and know enough now to take on the mission you were assigned all those years ago."

The boy nodded, bowing deeply. "Yes, Milord," was the reply.

"Find the Prince, ally yourself with him. Protect him throughout his journey, as you were told to do. Help him find your spirit-brothers, and set the Seal of Shindoshi."

"Yes, Milord."

"There is not much time. Already the great warrior's body and spirit have been separated, and he wreaks havoc on the mortal world. He must be stopped."

"Yes, Milord." The boy bowed once more and turned to leave.

"Triton."

The boy stopped. "Yes, Milord?"

"Be careful."

"Of course, father."

"Goodbye, son."

"Goodbye."

* * * * * * * * * *

Grabbing up his cloak, Heero stormed out of his castle with fear in his eyes and determination on his usually stoic features. He carried a sword at his hip, and his chocolate brown hair blew back in the wind as he ran to the stables, vaguely aware of the dragging footsteps behind him. He crashed through the stable doors and was met with the scent of decay and rotting flesh. Holding his nose against the horrid smell, he made his way to the far end of the stable, to where a private stall stood.

He opened the door to the stall, and was greeted by the sight of two bright black eyes and a long, white face with flaring nostrils. Heero let a real smile touch his face for a moment as he reached out and stroked the muzzle of his Pegasus, Wing. The pure white, large, winged stallion nuzzled the boy's neck, fluttering his powerful wings and lashing his plumed tail about, flicking away the flies that had infested his home and were attracted by the dead bodies of Wing's stable-mates.

The winged horse whinnied impatiently as the Prince threw his golden bridle and saddle upon the stallion's back and head, strapping it all quickly as the shuffling he had heard before got closer. He cinched the saddle, and checked to make sure the bit wasn't too tight. Wing stamped his feet, snorting at Heero, who immediately leaped upon his back.

"Now, Wing!" he shouted, as the Pegasus let out a shrill scream, rearing up and flaring wide his wings as he burst forth from the stall, toppling the dead corpses of Heero's personal guard as they reached for the Prince with rotting fingers. Wing screamed again as he flapped his wings, hurtling himself forward towards the stable door, and freedom. They zoomed past more zombies, Heero's unruly hair wildly whipping about in the gusts of wind created by his Pegasus' wings and speed. They took to the air as soon as they passed the stable door, swooping higher and higher, until they were at least a thousand feet above Heero's city.

The Prince looked down, and he felt a strange tightening in his chest at the sight he saw far beneath him.

Human corpses littered the stone streets, the rivers and all water sources turned to blood, gnats, and bugs infested everything, eating away at the buildings and wooden structures until they began to crumble. Animal corpses were strewn everywhere, their insides ripped out from their comrades ate what was left of them. All the food in the fields had rotted, the animals were all dead and diseased, so no one could eat them. The water had turned to blood. The people respectively died silently and in their sleep, slowly rotting away, going insane, or became zombies, half-living creatures only interested in stopping their own suffering and reduced to wandering about, clawing at the healthy in slow, jealous wrath, moaning in agony. Feces and other disgusting bodily fluids flowed in the rivers, along with the blood. The sky was, and had been, pitch black for three days now, yet there were very few left to notice or care. Those who were still in good health were hidden somewhere, and though Heero would have rejoiced to see at least a few of his people well, he knew it was too dangerous to search for them in the dead city below him.

'That is what it is now,' he thought sadly as Wing took him away from his home, towards the Western Lands. 'The City of the Dead…'

Turning away from his ruined home, Heero buried his face into Wing's neck, hugging the large animal tightly as he drifted off into uneasy sleep, filled with death and destruction.

* * * * * * * * * * *

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Fire…blood…so much blood…dead bodies everywhere, corpses rising up from the ground, reaching for him…

Heero shuddered and flinched away from their rotting fingers, the wormy feel of their hands brushing across his flesh sending chills up and down his spine. He closed his eyes, shuddering as their low, groaning voices drifted across a thick space to reach his ears.

"Help usss…"

"Master…"

"My Prince, it hurrtsss…"

Thick, oozing blood hit the floor in loud, echoing drops, shattering the semi-silence of the strange world where Heero found himself. He let out a tiny whimper as he withdrew from their groping hands, curling up and into himself to get away, he didn't want them touching him, he could do nothing for them…

Their voices faded, and the horrible, wormy feeling of their hands vanished as well, leaving him in a warm cocoon of silence and solitude. He lay there for an amount of time he wasn't even sure of, until something broke into his little world.

"Heero." A disembodied voice called.

The Prince furrowed his brow, his eyes remaining squeezed shut. He curled up tighter into the ball he had made of himself, arms wrapped around his knees, which were tucked into his chest.

"Heero." The voice called again.

Heero rolled over, covering his ears. He was so warm, so comfortable, and now this voice was trying to pull him out of the nice feeling. He would not have it!

"G'way," he mumbled. "'M sleepinnnn…"

The voice chuckled. "Heero, you need to look at me."

The Prince growled slightly, covering his eyes with one arm. "Why?" Heero whined in a childish manner. The voice snorted.

"Because when you wake up, I'm going to be right there," the voice replied.

"HUH??" Heero demanded, pulling his arm away and snapping open his eyes. He forgot the warmth and comfort he had felt just moments before, replaced by a cool breeze and one large, emerald green eye staring at him from the darkness. Heero gasped. "Who—what are you?" he asked, putting his hand to his chest and clutching the cloth over his heart.

The eye sparkled, seemingly pleased. "I have been sent from the God of Pestilence to aid you in your journey," the voice replied gently, in a low, pleasant tone. "I am the Chinmoku no Senshi, and I am here to guard you in your quest for the Seal of Shindoshi."

"The Soldier of Silence," Heero whispered, eyes wide as he stared at the green eye of the faceless creature before him. "But—who are you really? I can't just call you…THAT, can I?"

The voice chuckled gently. "Very few people know my true name," it replied, a smile in its voice as the eye watched Heero intensely. "But you may call me Trowa."

"Trowa?" Heero repeated, his eyes becoming heavy and closing of their own will, although he tried to keep them open. "Trowa…" he whispered, before everything went dark.

"I'll see you when you awaken, Heero Yuy," the Chinmoku no Senshi whispered, closing the green eye.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Wing's snufflings and low snorts brought Heero out of his dreams. Yawning slightly, the young Prince covered his mouth as he rolled over. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with…

Heero leaped to his feet, cloak thrown back as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrowed as he tensed up, glaring at the person sitting in front of him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, snarling angrily. Wing snorted from a few feet away, standing behind Heero with his head bowed and ears laid flat.

The boy dressed in a dark green vest and light gray pants that laced up the sides smiled. His light brown hair, that fell over half of his face and effectively hiding his eye swayed a little in the wind, while his emerald green eyes sparkled with amusement. _'You don't remember?'_

Heero blinked. That sounded like it came from his mind…

Low laughter filtered in his head, and Heero looked around, frowning. The boy before him smirked, a twitch of the lips that the cobalt-eyed boy nearly missed when he looked back at the youth. _'Heero, I told you that I would be here when you woke up.'_

The Prince gasped. "You!" he exclaimed. "You were the one in my dream!" The boy nodded as Heero shuddered slightly. "The _Chinmoku no Senshi_…" he whispered.

__

'Soldier of Silence,' Trowa agreed. Heero frowned even more.

"You…you're talking in my head, aren't you?" he asked, and Trowa nodded again.

__

'It is the only way I can speak,' he replied.

"Why?"

__

'Long ago, when I was but a child, a man came into my village,' the youth said, his mental voice dropping as he remembered. _'He wished to have his way with my mother one night, since my father had died before I was born. He slipped into her room that night, and silenced her with a gag. In those days I used to sleep beside her in the bed. I awoke to their struggling, and began to scream in fear, for help, for someone to save her.'_ His eyes clouded over and his hands shook ever so slightly. _'I screamed for the neighbors, but before they could reach us, the man had knocked my mother unconscious, and then he cut out my vocal chords.'_

Heero winced. "Oh…that must have…hurt," he finally said, not sure what to say. Trowa smiled wryly at him and shrugged.

__

'Oh yes, it hurt. But not as much as the healing,' he replied darkly, his face twisting into a mix of rage, sorrow, pain and hate. Heero took a step back, surprised at the change. _'For ten long years I was under the care of the Healers of my village. They beseeched the Gods to heal me, but at a price.'_ He rubbed his throat absently. _'I endured the agonizing pain for ten years, and I survived. The Gods had told me that if I were to live a good life, I would have to suffer for those years. My throat would never be healed, but they gave me the power to speak with my mind, using the latent abilities I had within myself and strengthening them.'_ He sighed deeply. _'This gift comes in handy sometimes, when I am forced to go into people's dreams. Although, it is also a curse to me in some ways.'_

"Why is that?" Heero asked, curious.

__

'For those who are not able to handle being spoken to like this, they cannot hear me. Very few can, and you are one of the…shall we say…lucky ones?' Trowa smirked at him and Heero found himself smiling at the boy across from him. He liked him.

Abruptly, the Prince shook his head. "But—I don't understand. Why have you come to me?" he demanded, confusion overruling any other feeling he had, as well as wariness. Who was this boy before him, really? WHAT was he?

Trowa smiled. _'You have a journey to complete, and I am here to help you,'_ he said. Staring at Heero intensely, Trowa's smile vanished. _'Your country is in danger, your people die of plagues and diseases, your land is wasting into nothing. It is all a part of a prophecy given long ago, that states that a great scourge will come upon all the lands, starting with the centermost country on the continent. It was foretold that a great leader would arise from that land, and he would journey forth into the North, West, East and South to search for the magical weapons and senshi that will carry them. A great wizard shall challenge the ruler of that country by breaking the Seal of Shindoshi, the greatest warrior to have ever lived. Once the Seal is broken, Shindoshi shall wreak havoc upon the land, as he has nothing to guide him. His body moves without a soul, killing wantonly while his spirit wanders, searching for his physical form. The journeyer must gather together his four companions, and together they must do battle with Shindoshi, and set the Seals they gathered, creating a new one to bind the warrior's body with his spirit.'_

Heero blinked. "I have to do all that?" he asked, shocked. Trowa threw back his head and laughed.

__

'No, not all by yourself,' was the reply. _'You are going to have four companions to help you, the ones who must wield the weapons you are to acquire.'_

Heero frowned. "And how do I find these 'companions'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "The riddle my mirror told me I had to call upon the Gods and all, but it never said HOW I was to find the warriors that would help me."

Trowa's smirk widened. _'The Gods have taken pity on you, and have sent me to tell you what you must do,'_ he said. _'There are four who have the power to wield the weapons, and are the ones who should, but that power will be transferred to another, if you so choose.'_

"Huh?"

Trowa rolled his eyes. _'There are four who currently have the ability to wield the weapons. They are the ones who are supposed to, anyway. However, if you find that you are absolutely unable to work with them, then you have the ability to take the power of one warrior, and transfer it to another of your choosing. The mission is all that matters, to save the world from death and destruction. If you and your warriors cannot cooperate, then you must choose others, for without unity between you there can be no success.'_

Heero frowned. "I still don't understand."

__

'At the moment, you really don't have to. You must begin your journey, and travel to the East, which is where you will find your second warrior.'

"Who is the first warrior?" Heero asked, confused. "I mean, you keep telling me that I have to find these four, but…what are YOU doing here?"

Trowa smiled. _'I am the first warrior, Heero Yuy. I am the Soldier of Silence, servant of Silas, the God of Pestilence in the South.'_ He stood up, smiling in a knowing way at Heero. _'Come. We have a journey to begin.'_

The young Prince frowned again, then sighed, whistling at Wing, who snorted and trotted over, nuzzling the boy's neck. Petting the Pegasus' muzzle for a moment, Heero then turned and looked at Trowa. "Very well then," he said, nodding. "Let us go."

The other boy nodded, and suddenly, a very large, heavyset, black unicorn came clomping through the entrance to the cave they were in. The unicorn snorted and tossed his head, bumping his muzzle against the taller boy's shoulder. Trowa smiled at Heero's questioning look.

__

'This is Heavyarms.' Trowa stated fondly. Heero shrugged, leaping up onto Wing's back as the Pegasus stamped impatiently. Trowa did the same for Heavyarms, and moments later the two stallions leaped into the air, one flapping it's wings wildly while the other ran with sparks flying from his hoofs into the night sky.

* * * * * * * * * *

Mask in place, eyes glowing and hand on the hilt of his sword, Shindoshi took a staggering step towards the large city that lay before him, lights twinkling in the darkness and flickering brightly, as though they were calling him.

Moaning low in his throat, the body of the great warrior stumbled forward, platinum blonde hair flying out behind him in a wave of silk. Fingers curled into claws and soldier's uniform rustling in the gusts of wind, Shindoshi's eyes were locked on the city, nostrils smelling fresh blood and flesh.

To be continued…

Questions, comments, flames, praise or anything else send to pippin_elf@yahoo.com. 

Yes, I know that Trowa's gundam is supposed to be red, not black. BUT, for this story, I am changing some things around. So live with it!


	3. Chapter Two-Toki no Senshi (Soldier of T...

Chapter Two—Toki no Senshi (Soldier of Time) 

Chapter Two—Toki no Senshi (Soldier of Time)

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.

OR

http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!!

Warnings: Same as last, just look at the first fic.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

"The weight of this sad time we must obey, 

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

—Shakespeare's "King Lear"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

"The Magic is in me—the Magic is in me. It's in every one of us."

—The Secret Garden

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

__

Chapter Two—Toki No Senshi (Soldier of Time)

The small blonde boy kept his head bowed, cerulean blue eyes squinted against the sand that blew heavily into his face from the whipping wind. A large, sandy-coloured cloak was draped over his shoulders, hood pulled up, one arm raised to protect his face. A pair of goggles sat on his nose and held to his head with a thick rubber band. He wore a light blue vest with a white, long-sleeved shirt and tight, black pants with combat boots.

At his side a small, wiry horse trotted. A thick rag to protect its eyes covered its face, and the rest of it was also covered with the same coarse, brown blanket. However, from the shape beneath the covers, it was strong yet light, quick and slim with an arched neck and long, flowing tail. Its colour was a deep, dark red, like blood, and it had fiery black eyes.

The two walked calmly, pushing against the wind as they pressed forward, eyes constantly flickering back and forth as though searching for danger. They reached the crest of a large sand dune and, when the boy looked down expecting to see his home city, he received a shock.

His home, his city…was destroyed.

Smoke and flames billowed up from the crushed buildings, as the streets flooded from dead bodies blocking the river's channel, causing it to overflow. Corpses lay strewn about in the streets, ripped apart as though by clawed fingers, their limbs thrown everywhere as rats and dogs ate at their rotting flesh.

The boy gasped as his horse snorted, prancing on its hind feet nervously. "No!" the boy hissed, eyes wide. Fear clutched at his heart and he reached up, grabbing the cloth above his heart, gasping in fear. "This can't be!" he whispered, frightened and shocked. He stared for a few long moments that felt, to him, like an eternity, before his stunned mind remembered something.

Yanking the cloak off of the blood red Arabian stallion, the blonde boy leaped onto its back, kicking it into a run. "Come, Sandrock! We have to see if my sisters are all right!" The stallion snorted, pinning its ears back as it raced into the city, eyes nervously watching the dead bodies on the streets as its hoofs thumped silently upon the sandy earth.

Sandrock smelled evil.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Wing and Heavyarms trotted calmly across the sand, their riders sitting comfortably on their backs as they moved swiftly, yet smoothly. The two boys were both leaning over their mounts' necks, exhausted. It had been nearly five days travel since they had left their first meeting place, and they had hardly slept.

During their journey, they had come upon towns ransacked and destroyed, and they had known Shindoshi had been there. Neither knew how the great warrior had moved so quickly, or where he had come from or gone, but the sense of foreboding they both felt told them that time was running out. The walking corpse was moving fast, and if they wanted to stop him and return his soul to his body they would have to act quickly.

Heero groaned softly. His eyes drooped, but he refused to succumb to sleep, even though he knew he needed it. No real warrior would sleep when danger was about.

Trowa snorted. _'Any real warrior would sleep when he needed it,'_ the youth grumbled, making a face at Heero, who rolled his eyes.

"I really wish you wouldn't read my mind," the young Prince retorted. Then he sighed. "But, you are right about me needing sleep. I suppose I'm just not used to travelling this much."

__

'I have traveled far and wide, for years at a time, and I'm still not used to it.' Trowa said, chuckling tiredly. _'I don't think anyone can really get 'used to' it, though. It just isn't something humans were meant to do.'_

Heero chuckled. "I suppose you're right," he said.

Suddenly, Wing's head shot up, nostrils flaring. His ears went back and he froze, wings twitching slightly as his tail flicked back and forth. Immediately, Heero tensed and became fully awake.

"What's wrong, Wing?" he questioned the Pegasus softly, stroking his neck as his other hand went to his sword. Trowa frowned as he leaned toward Heavyarms' head, as though listening to the black unicorn.

__

'Heavyarms says he smells death,' the tall boy informed Heero, who raised an eyebrow.

"He can talk?" he asked, confused. Trowa shrugged.

__

'He talks to me,' was the short reply, to which Heero made a face, but decided not to question further. Instead, he focused his eyes ahead of them, to where he finally noticed a bloom of thick smoke sprouting from beyond a particularly large sand dune.

"There." He pointed, and Trowa looked, nodding.

__

'Perhaps Shindoshi has been here, too,' he mused, scratching his chin.

"That's probably it," Heero replied. "I guess we should look for survivors." Trowa nodded, eyes serious.

__

'That would be wise,' he replied. _'We still haven't found the Toki no Senshi yet, so it's possible he might be here.'_

Heero nodded. "Then let's go."

They spurred their mounts into a fast run, bolting over the sand dune in seconds and running down to the newly destroyed city.

* * * * * * * * * *

As they trotted through the crumbled city streets, Heero and Trowa had disgusted looks on their faces at the carnage around them. Shindoshi had spared no one—all had been killed, eaten, or tossed into the rivers. Water swirled about the feet of Wing and Heavyarms, as they splashed forward slowly, moving through and past broken buildings that the two boys imagined were once beautiful.

Heero sighed. "What a waste," he growled, starting at a great fountain in what must once have been the city square, broken and cracked, covered with rotten flesh and filled with the bodies of former citizens. "This place must have been very beautiful." Trowa nodded.

__

'I have been here on several occasions, and it indeed was a wonderful place,' he said sadly as he remembered. _'The people were peaceful, and only wanted to live in peace. They never harmed anyone, were welcoming to all travelers, and gave all they had, even if what they had was very little. Even the poorest street urchin did his best to help you.'_ He sighed. _'Now they are all gone, and can help no one.' _

Heero growled. "I would like to throttle Shindoshi for this," he snarled. "These people didn't deserve what happened." His mind wandered to his own people, his own city…all had died, or were turned into zombies. He shuddered as the remembrance of their rotten fingers groping for him as he ran…

As they began to pass a dark alleyway, Wing let out a scream and reared back, pawing the air as his wings flared wide open. Heero cried out in surprise as the Pegasus screamed again, hoofs striking out at a small blur beneath them. Yelling, the boy pulled on Wing's reins, trying to force the Pegasus back. Wing complied reluctantly, snorting as he stared at the small bundle of clothes shivering before him. 

Heero's eyes widened as a small whimper came from the trembling bundle. Leaping down from Wing's back, the young Prince raced forward with Trowa at his heels, kneeling next to the person on the ground, soaking wet with water and blood. Slowly, so as not to startle the stranger, Heero reached out and gently shook him, taking hold of his wrists and pulling him upright. 

"Excuse me," he said as the person turned toward him, "but what—" He stopped as he got a good look at the face of the stranger before him. Trowa gasped.

Feminine features with creamy skin, bright cerulean eyes with a mop of sun-blonde hair peered out a them from a sand-coloured hood, and slim hands shook in Heero's grip. The eyes seemed to stare into their very souls, and the two boys found themselves breathless.

The blonde's eyes widened. "You—you're real?" he asked, voice trembling. Heero nodded, and so did Trowa.

__

'Yes, Little One,' the taller boy said gently. _'We are real, and we wish to help you. You must tell us what happened here.'_ Tears sprung to the blonde's eyes as he heard those words, and his lips trembled. Abruptly, he threw himself into Heero's arms, startling him. Eyes wide, the young Prince gave Trowa a pleading and confused look. Trowa shook his head and leaned forward, rubbing the blonde's back gently and encouragingly. Heero continued to hold him, rocking back and forth slightly.

"I—I don't know what happened," the boy whispered, clutching Heero's shirt as he trembled, eyes closed tightly. "I came home one night from a journey to the Great Temple, and everything was destroyed. The town was ruined, and my…my…family…" His voice cracked and he began to sob once more.

Heero glanced up from looking at the boy to see Trowa, and his eyes widened. The taller boy's eyes were smoldering with rage, and when he looked at Heero, the Prince knew that Trowa would want revenge for what had happened to the beautiful boy in their arms.

After a few long minutes, the boy finally stopped crying and looked up at his companions, tears streaked on his cheeks. Quickly moving out of Heero's arms, he rubbed his eyes roughly and gave them a weak smile. "Gomen," he whispered, coughing to get his voice back to normal as he tried to come back to some semblance of normal. "I didn't mean to…get so hysterical on you."

Heero nodded. "It's all right," he said. "You've experienced something traumatic. It's a predictable reaction, and you needed to eliminate your negative emotions." He smiled crookedly at the blonde. "I suppose it was a good thing we showed up, then." The boy giggled.

"I'm Quatre," he said, putting out his hand. Heero smiled, and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you," he said. "I am Heero." Quatre turned to Trowa and gave him a serene, angelic smile.

"And you are?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Trowa blushed.

Heero blinked. _Blushed…?_

__

'My name is Trowa,' the boy finally said, shaking Quatre's hand. 

"Hello, Trowa," Quatre said, his voice seeming to linger on the taller boy's name.

The blonde smiled as Heero watched, a small smile of his own growing on his face as he realized that Trowa liked the blonde, and it seemed the blonde liked him. The Prince watched the two, and he felt something within him click. His eyes widened.

__

My second warrior, he thought, astonished. _The Toki no Senshi…Soldier of Time…_

Trowa looked at him, a look of knowing in his eyes as Heero began to smile. Standing up, Heero helped Quatre get to his feet. He smiled gently at the other boy.

"Quatre," Heero began, slowly. "I have a question for you."

The blonde gave him a questioning look. "Yes?" he asked, innocently. He looked curious. Heero gave him a serious look.

"Trowa and I are on a journey," he began. "We are in search of three more warriors to add to our company, for the darkness and destruction that have befallen your city is spreading. We journey to stop it, and return the lands to grace and beauty once more. The one who murdered your people is the great warrior Shindoshi, or rather, his body. Trowa and I must find the warriors to wield the weapons that will defeat the guardians of the Seals that must be set, and return Shindoshi's soul to his body." 

Quatre's eyes were wide as he listened, hand clutching the shirt over his heart. "This—you're serious. The situation is…worse, than I imagined." They weren't questions, but statements.

Heero frowned. "Worse than you imagined?" he repeated. Quatre nodded, looking away.

"For several weeks now I have been…having terrible dreams, and the things I feel here," he pointed at his heart, "grow stronger with each passing moment. I see…things that I wish not to see. I feel things I wish not to feel. I can't stop it, or control it." He paused, seemingly to gather his wits. "For as long as I can remember, I have always been able to feel people's emotions. I don't know how, or why, but I can, and do." He looked at Heero. "Lately, I have been feeling death. More so than ever before, and…it's horrible…"

Heero nodded. "My city was the first to be affected by ten vile plagues," he said, his face darkening in remembrance. "My people suffered, and died. Now I want to avenge their deaths, and make right what went wrong." His eyes narrowed. "The Seal of Shindoshi was broken by some great wizard, though I do not know who. I will kill him, and avenge my people, and all those others who died because of this wizard. Quatre," his tone changed, taking on a pleading note. "I need help. I don't know what it is, but something draws me to you. Somehow, I believe you are one of the Four warriors who will fight with me." His eyes were pleading. "I ask for your help. Help us to save our world, and yourself."

Quatre, despite having all that information thrown at him at once, immediately smiled and nodded, startling Heero and Trowa. "I will help you," he said, a grand smile on his face. Trowa tilted his head.

__

'That was a fast decision,' he commented. _'Why?'_ Quatre chuckled.

"I can tell when someone is telling the truth," he replied, looking at Heero. His eyes seemed to bore deep into the other boy's soul, and he suddenly knew that Quatre felt the same as he did. He belonged with them. "I believe you, and I will help you, because I know you are telling the truth. I can also tell that the both of you are good at heart, and I like that." He looked at Trowa and smiled.

Trowa blushed again.

Abruptly, a snort from behind them caused the three boys to turn around. Heero and Trowa both raised eyebrows at the small, blood red Arabian stallion that was prancing around their mounts. Both Wing and Heavyarms were trying to get s sniff of the smaller horse, but it was too quick for them, and they whinnied in annoyance.

Quatre laughed. "I see Sandrock has made some friends," he said, chuckling. Heero smirked as Wing stamped his foot, neighing loudly. Heavyarms snorted, watching Sandrock as he darted about, twirling on his back legs and dancing away from Wing. After a moment, Wing gave up and returned to the black unicorn's side, snorting angrily at the red stallion. Sandrock, after a few moments, trotted up to the two other stallions and finally allowed them to sniff him. Moments later, all three were waiting for their masters in a row, tails swishing and ears flicking.

The three boys all smiled, and then looked at each other.

"So where do we go from here?" Heero asked.

__

'To the West,' Trowa replied. _'That is where the Horobi no Senshi is supposed to be.'_

"Horobi no Senshi?" Quatre asked. "Soldier of Destruction? Who and why is he called that?"

Trowa shrugged. _'I do not know who he is, but, as with you, we will have a feeling. We will know, somehow.'_ He paused. _'The reason why he is called the Soldier of Destruction is probably because he destroys things.'_ He gave Quatre a wry look as Heero chuckled.

The blonde made a face. "Who are you then?"

__

'I am the Chinkmoku no Senshi.'

"Well, who am I?"

__

'I believe you are the Toki no Senshi.'

"Soldier of Time?" Quatre asked, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "How…nice."

__

'Would you rather be one to destroy things?'

"No! I like the Time thing…much better than being a soldier of slaughter, or whatever." Quatre said, wrinkling his nose. "Death just isn't my thing." Trowa and Heero laughed.

"To the West, then?" Quatre asked, smiling.

Heero nodded. "To the West."

As they departed, none of them noticed a pair of ice cold, pupil-less blue eyes watching them from the shadows. As their mounts trotted away, none of them stopping to look for provisions since they knew there were none in the ransacked city, the eyes blinked, then slit dangerous. A low, feminine chuckle drifted out of the shadows and a slim, clawed hand beckoned from the darkness, followed by a slim, barely clad, lithe female body. Long, blonde hair that fell past her rear blew in the wind, as she pressed herself up against the corner of the wall she stood next to, rubbing herself against it.

"Let the battle begin, my pretties," she purred.

To be continued…

I think you can guess who the girl is, eh? If not…well…nevermind. But anywho, I KNOW that Quatre's gundam is white and gold! Not red! But like I said before, I am changing things! So nyah!

Questions, comments, flames, praise, whatever you like, please send to pippin_elf@yahoo.com, or horde_king@yahoo.ca.


	4. Chapter Three-Horobi no Senshi (Soldier ...

Chapter Three— Horobi no Senshi (Soldier of Destruction) 

Chapter Three— Horobi no Senshi (Soldier of Destruction)

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.

OR

http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!!

Warnings: Ummm…er…I don't know if this is a lemon or a lime, or what…I'll just say that Quatre and Trowa start making out. You don't actually see them screw…but what leads to it is kinda graphic. Don't read if you're under 18, okay? Or if you are under 18 and decide to read it, don't let your parents catch you! First half of this fic is making out, the next half we meet the Soldier of Destruction. Yay.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

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"The weight of this sad time we must obey, 

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

—Shakespeare's "King Lear"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

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"The Magic is in me—the Magic is in me. It's in every one of us."

—The Secret Garden

* * * * * * * * * * * *

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Chapter Three— Horobi no Senshi (Soldier of Destruction)

It was their thirteenth day of travel, by air and by earth, and the night before, Heero, Trowa and Quatre had all slept comfortably, though at one point or another one of them was awake for their watch. At all times, someone had to be on guard, because for at least two days, Quatre had been sensing malicious intent directed toward them. How he knew it was directed at them, he wasn't sure, but the feeling of danger and threat had been growing, and since his emotions were usually right, he followed them. Heero and Trowa supported him, telling him that whatever he felt, he could tell them and they wouldn't turn away or ignore his feelings. Quatre also told them he felt that they were getting close to what they were looking for, since he had been filled in on all the details from the other two about their journey.

Right then, Heero, Quatre and Trowa were walking through a deep forest, their footfalls softened by the moist leaves that lay underfoot, and the soft earth. Large, old, and thick trees that reached hundreds of feet into the sky covered about five hundred miles of land, with clean streams and rivers running through it, as well as swamps and dangerous bogs. The grass and shrubbery were all lush and healthy, and the soft pattering of animal feet and birds twittering was music to their ears, compared to the screams of pain they heard in the cities, along with the groaning of the occasional zombie. The air was hot and humid, and before they had stepped a half a mile into the forest, they had removed their shirts and placed them on the backs of their mounts.

The three walked with their mounts in tow, shirtless and still sweating. Occasionally, Trowa or Quatre would send each other small, shy glances and smiles. The two were attracted to each other, and it was obvious to all, but neither had done anything.

It was driving Heero crazy.

__

Why didn't they just say something to each other? He wondered. _Surely they weren't just going to ogle each other the entire time?_

Several days into the forest later, Heero decided he was going to do something about the two boys. They would find the other warrior soon enough, but before then Heero wanted his other two friends to establish their own relationship, just in case the new addition decided to cause some problems.

As they settled down on their twelfth night in the forest, Heero decided to take first watch. It had been a very, very warm day, and he could tell that the frustrations of the other two were beginning to show through. Quatre was starting to get irritable, and Trowa had become more moody and silent. Especially with each other. Heero took the first watch as an opportunity for the two of them to settle whatever was between them, and decided to tell them so. 

Standing up after unbridling Wing and removing his saddle, Heero turned to the two boys who were openly staring at each other. He made a face as he snapped his fingers, catching their attention. They glared at him and he glared right back. "All right you two, listen up and listen up good," he growled, and they raised their eyebrows at him, confused. "I know that the two of you have been ogling each other since we first met, and I know that me being around has put a bit of a cramp in your relationship." They stared at him, shocked. "You two are afraid of me seeing you staring at each other like love-struck girls, because you're both male and, according to laws and society, males aren't supposed to do that. Correct?"

They nodded slowly, fearfully. Heero smirked.

"Well, let me tell you that I have no problem with that," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and staring the other two boys down. "What I DO have a problem with, though, is the fact that the two of you can't seem to fathom the idea that my opinion on this DOESN'T MATTER. It is your lives, not mine, and if the two of you want to kiss or kill each other, it isn't my life and I have no say in it. Now," he paused, giving them a death glare. "Tonight, I have first watch. I'm going to patrol around, go down to the river and catch some fish or something. I want the two of you to come to an understanding, and I don't care how it turns out, as long as you pull whatever sticks you have up your asses out and get back to normal. I'm tired of the arguments. I'll see you later."

With that, the young Prince turned and walked quickly away, Trowa and Quatre watching with shock on their young faces. When he disappeared into the trees, both boys looked at each other, then looked away, both blushing. Suddenly, Quatre frowned and looked at Trowa.

"Trowa," the blonde began, then blurted it out. "Heero's right!"

The taller boy turned quickly to look at Quatre, eyes wide. _'What do you mean, Heero's right?'_ he demanded, confused. Quatre bit his lip, and Trowa found himself fascinated with the perfect teeth, the soft lips that entranced him when they moved...

"We're…dancing around this like skittish colts!" Quatre said, wringing his hands together nervously. Trowa had such nice eyes…

__

'Dancing around what?' Trowa asked, raising an eyebrow at the other boy. His heart fluttered in his chest, hope rising even though he tried to thrust it back down. He couldn't stop staring at the boy's lips…

Quatre sputtered. "What do you mean, 'dancing around what'?? THIS!" He waved his hand at himself and Trowa, his words unintelligible. He tried looking away, to find something else to look at, but his eyes kept going back to Trowa's emerald ones…

Trowa leaned forward slightly, emerald eyes watching Quatre's cerulean ones as they flickered back and forth. He leaned even closer as an urge to get the flustered look off the blonde's face overcame him, and he had an idea of how to do it.

__

'This?' he asked, his face just inches from Quatre's, as the blonde froze and stared deep into Trowa's eyes. He nodded slowly as the taller boy leaned closer, their breaths mingling.

"Yes…" Quatre managed, his breath caressing Trowa's skin, making his already warm skin even warmer. Trowa breathed in the scent of Quatre's breath, and smiled to himself. Minty.

Slowly, he brushed his lips against Quatre's, and the other boy moaned softly, pressing himself forward, their lips firmly pressed together. As their mouths began to move and their lips brushed against soft skin, Trowa wrapped one arm around the other boy's waist, pulling him even closer. Quatre moaned as his bare chest rubbed against Trowa's, and the older boy began to run his hands over the blonde's body. Trowa's fingers slid over the blonde's chest, tweaking and rubbing against his nipples. Quatre moaned, tilting his head back slight as Trowa began to kiss along his jaw and throat. The brown-haired boy's hands continued to peak the other's nipples, until one hand began to trace lower, to Quatre's pant line. Pulling the blonde back to him, Trowa's mouth met with Quatre's once more.

Opening his mouth to the tall boy, Quatre's tongue began to battle with his lover's. They began to pant slightly as their tongues fought for supremacy in each other's mouths, and both their hands began to roam. Fingers slid over taut muscles, tracing the lines and leaving trails in the sheen of sweat on each other's skin. Trowa's hand slid lower, until he had hold of the bulge in Quatre's pant.

Gasping for breath, Quatre pulled back for a moment, staring into Trowa's eyes, which held the same passion haze his own did. They stared at each other, wide-eyed and panting for breath as Trowa fondled the blonde's growing erection. Grabbing Trowa by the shoulders, Quatre moaned in pleasure and pressed himself against the other's gentle, yet firm hand.

Trowa smiled as he wrapped his other arm around Quatre's waist, pulling him closer until the blonde was sitting on his lap. Quatre gasped again as he felt Trowa's erection rubbing against the inside of his thigh, right next to his own. The two manhoods were separated only by cloth, yet even then it was thin cloth…

Quatre grabbed Trowa around the neck, pulling him closer and into a deep, soul-sucking kiss, grinding his hips against Trowa's with a blinding fury. Trowa moaned loudly against Quatre's mouth, and then their tongues were at it again, battling. They ground against each other, erections rubbing together, yet not achieving the satisfaction they both wanted. They throbbed maddeningly as they slid up and down within their cloth confines, as Trowa's hand worked at the string that held Quatre's pants up. Quatre growled.

"Just yank 'em off," he hissed, thrusting his hips against the other boy's again, and Trowa raised an eyebrow at the usually gentle boy who was moaning against him, eyes blazing with passion and lust.

Trowa smiled. _'Very well, then.'_

* * * * * * * * * * *

Heero half-turned as the cries he heard from behind him, raising an eyebrow slightly. A grin working its way across his features, the young Prince turned away, concentrating on spearing a fish for breakfast. His eyes narrowed, he watched for the dark shapes under the water.

Several hours later, with a pile of fish on the bank of the river at his side, Heero was sitting on the grassy slope, head tilted back in relaxation, eyes closed. He was alert, despite his outward calm. He had a few more hours left on his watch, and wasn't about to shirk his duties.

It was the feeling of being watched that made him open his eyes.

The birds still chirped and often he would hear the call of some wild animal out in the woods, but the feeling of someone, or something watching him made him doubt the peace and calm of the forest. Getting to his feet, Heero's eyes scanned the surrounding shrubbery, watchful and cautious. Muscles tensing, he reached for the hilt of his sword and took hold of it. Eyes narrowed, he glanced around swiftly yet thoroughly as a hot breeze made the leaves of the trees sway.

Silence greeted the young Prince's straining ears, and only forest met with his watchful eyes, yet still, the sense of someone else watching him caused his heart rate to speed up.

After carefully scanning the surrounding area on the ground, the youth turned his cobalt eyes to the sky, searching through the sea of leaves and branches for an enemy.

A flash of blue and white caught his eye, and he spun around as a blur of colour dashed toward him. A flash of silver, dark eyes blazing and blue and white silk moved by him like the wind, and Heero's sword was drawn, connecting with another with a loud clang, before the attacker vanished, ducking into the foliage around them.

Panting with surprise, Heero growled. "Who are you! What do you want?" There was no reply, but Heero was not surprised. He didn't exactly expect an answer, so instead of dwelling on it he tried to pinpoint the location of the hiding place the other was using.

There was another flash of blue and white, and Heero brought his sword up in defense, barely blocking the blade of the other's sword as he was attacked. He knocked the other's weapon away, and the figure dashed back into the trees.

Now enraged, Heero followed the figure, catching glimpses of white and blue amongst the greens and browns of the forest. Moving as swiftly as he could, the young Prince found himself gaining on his attacker.

Abruptly, the other vanished.

Heero stopped, snapping his head from side to side, lips pulled back from his teeth, eyes blazing with rage. Holding his sword in one hand, the other held out in front of him, he began to slowly look around and take in his surroundings.

He didn't have much time to do that, however, because something slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Heero fell, rolling onto his back with his sword raised as the silver blade of another came down on him. The two weapons pressed firmly against each other, the blades directly in front of Heero's face. He growled when he saw the face of his assailant.

Copper-skinned with dark, blazing eyes, black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, a boy about Heero's age sat on Heero's abdomen, pressing his sword down toward the Prince's throat as hard as he could. Dressed in a tight blue sleeveless shirt, with loose white pants tied by a sash at the waist, the other boy was lithe, deadly, and beautiful, all at once.

Heero nearly found himself lose hold of his sword at the other's beauty, but remembered that the boy was trying to kill him. Casting aside the lewd thoughts he found himself having about the other youth, Heero grunted and shoved his sword upward with all of his might. The force of the push startled the dark-haired boy, causing him to lose his grip. His sword went flying away, landing somewhere in the bushes with a muffled thump.

Snarling, the other boy grabbed Heero's wrist and tries twisting it. Crying out in pain, Heero dropped his sword. The other punched the Prince squarely in the face, and in retaliation, Heero thrust his hips upwards, throwing the boy off him.

They both rolled away, and then dashed at each other again, hands locking together as they fought for supremacy. Heero tripped the other boy, and they both went down, rolling about in the dirt, grunting and growling like animals as they battled. Yanking one of his hands loose, the Prince pulled his fist back and smacked the other youth right in the mouth. Blood sprayed across both youths as the black-haired boy kneed Heero in the stomach. The Prince grunted, but bit down on his pain and punched the other boy in the gut as hard as he could.

Stunned from the force of the blow, the other boy stopped his attack, allowing Heero to kick him in the head and roll away. Snatching up his sword, the Prince turned to find the other boy struggling to get to his feet, blood dripping down his chin.

"Don't move," Heero ordered, pressing the tip of his sword against the other's throat. The boy stopped, and glared at the Prince, eyes full of rage. Heero glared back. "Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded.

The boy, still fuming, bowed his head. "Just kill me." He said, his voice low and full of shame and self-hatred.

Heero blinked. "What?"

The boy kept looking at the ground. "I have failed. I attacked you and lost the battle. Now you must take your revenge and kill me."

Heero made a face. "Well…that's not exactly what I want to do…"

The other boy glanced up at him. "What? Why?"

Heero sighed, still holding his sword at the boy's throat. "I don't want to kill you. I just want some answers."

The boy stared at him. "What is it you want to know? I am honour-bound to answer your questions since I lost." Heero sighed.

"For one thing, who the hell are you? Secondly, why did you attack me?"

The boy winced. "My name…is Wufei, and I live in these woods. I…attacked you, because I thought you had come to kill me."

Heero stared. "Why would you think we had come to kill you?" he asked. The boy, Wufei, sighed as he sat back, crossing his legs beneath him. Heero took his sword away from the other's throat, confused.

"Long ago, I defied my father by refusing to marry the one I was destined to from birth," the sullen youth replied. "She was a scheming sorceress, who wanted nothing but to rule the world. Instead of marrying her, I murdered her and ran away from my home. Believing that she was an innocent, my father ordered my death for it is the utmost dishonour to kill one of your own clan. For years he has been sending assassins to hunt me down and kill me, and I thought you to be the next batch."

Heero chuckled, sheathing his sword, to Wufei's amazement. "I am afraid not, Wufei," the young Prince said, smiling gently. "My companions and I are in your forest only for the reason that we had no other way to go, and we are on a journey."

"So…you are not assassins sent by my father?" Wufei asked, dark eyes watching Heero carefully and with trepidation. Heero shook his head.

"We don't even know who your father is," he retorted dryly. "As I said, my friends and I are on a journey."

"What sort of a journey?" Wufei asked, unable to help himself from asking. Heero smiled, feeling that…_something_, click in place as he sat down in front of the other boy and began to tell him of their mission.

* * * * * * * * * *

Quatre rolled over and looked at Trowa, a worried look on his face. "Trowa?"

__

'Hmmm?'

"Do you think Heero is okay?" the blonde asked, fidgeting nervously. "I mean, he's been gone an awful long time, and he was so angry when he left, and…"

Trowa chuckled. _'He has not abandoned us, Little One,'_ he assured the youth. _'I am sure he is safe, and I know for a fact that he would not abandon us or his mission.'_

Quatre still looked worried. "But a while ago, I felt great anger coming from him. I don't know who it was directed at, but…it was there, and then it was gone."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. _'Perhaps he met up with a wild animal of sorts,'_ he replied.

"You can say that again," Heero said as he walked back into their campsite, a rather large and triumphant grin on his face. At his heels another boy followed, causing Trowa and Quatre to leap to their feet, surprised. Then, remembering their lack of clothes, they grabbed up said clothes and covered themselves quickly, blushing, to the amusement of the other two boys.

"Umm…er…Heero, who's your friend?" Quatre asked, trying to sound natural and friendly despite his extreme embarrassment.

Trowa had somehow managed to put his pants back on without anyone really noticing, and appeared calmer than Quatre did, though a heavy blush was still on his cheeks as he brushed the dirt off his pants, trying to smooth them out. _'Yes, who is he?'_

Wufei blinked, but said nothing, though he gave Trowa an odd, confounded look. The taller boy smirked inwardly. The boy had heard him, but wasn't sure if it really was Trowa that he heard talking in his head or not.

Heero smiled. "Quatre, Trowa, meet Wufei."

Wufei bowed formally. "It is an honour to meet you," he said, lips curled into a tight smile as he rose. "I have been informed of your journey, and was asked to accompany you."

Trowa and Quatre looked at Heero, eyebrows raised. The Prince shrugged. "I can feel it, in my heart," was his simple reply. The other two nodded and looked back at Wufei. They smiled.

__

'I am pleased to meet you, too, Horobi no Senshi,' Trowa whispered.

Wufei smiled back, eyes glittering in the firelight.

To be continued…

Don't worry, you'll see Nataku soon enough. Duo's gonna be in the next fic, so look for it! Oh and by the way, there is some OOC in these fics. Sorry, I forgot to mention that before. Oh, and another thing. I am making these first fics quick so that the relationships between the guys can be established fast. The plot WILL advance, I just want to get the characters in here first.

Questions, comments, flames, praise, or anything else send to pippin_elf@yahoo.com, or horde_king@yahoo.ca.


	5. Chapter Four-Shi no Senshi (Soldier of D...

Chapter Four- Shi no Senshi (Soldier of Death)  
  
Written by Azreal (aka Blight)  
  
pippin_elf@yahoo.com  
  
or  
  
horde_king@yahoo.ca  
  
http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.  
  
OR  
  
http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!!  
  
Warnings: Pretty much the same as the others, except that there are no make- out scenes in this one. Finally, Duo makes an appearance! I have been getting a lot of reviews saying they want to see Duo.well, HERE YOU GUYS GO!!! THE SHI NO SENSHI IS HERE!!! WHAHAHAHA!  
  
Oh, and I kinda made a creature up.you'll see it when it comes. I think you'll like it. ^_~  
  
  
  
Chapter Four- Shi no Senshi (Soldier of Death)  
  
It was four weeks later as Heero, Wufei, Trowa and Quatre were heading North, all atop their own steeds. Wufei had called Shenlong, a speckled gray mare with a hot temper, to him not long after the four had discussed their next move. They were headed to find the fourth member of their group, whoever he or she might be. They had long before left the forest Wufei had called home for several years, much to the youth's sadness. For a few hours he had stared behind them, watching unhappily as his home drew further away from them, though soon he looked forward, concentrating on their journey.  
  
They had now come upon a great city before them that stretched for miles and miles, made of stone and iron. Paved streets that were now crumbling wound like snakes through the tall buildings that were also falling apart. Mould grew on the towers, sprouted in the cracks of the sidewalk, and the ground (what could be seen of it through the thick fog) was covered in filth. It was obvious to them all that the city had been falling apart long before the Seal of Shindoshi had been broken, and it looked as though Shindoshi himself had not yet been there. Though had they not known otherwise, they would have thought he had, the place was so defunct.  
  
Wrinkling his nose, Wufei snorted at the scene before him, the hoofs of their steeds clopping across the broken pavement. "What a disgusting place," he sneered as a rat ran across their path, staring at them for a long moment before the fat rodent vanished into the shadows. Quatre shuddered, putting a hand beneath his nose against the smell of decay that wafted from the buildings and the alleyways.  
  
"How could anyone let their home be so.so."  
  
'Nasty?' Trowa offered.  
  
"Yes, nasty," Quatre agreed. Heero's face was pulled into a frown.  
  
"It is just like my city," he murmured. Shaking his head against the memory, the young Prince looked at his companions. "Do you suppose the Shi no Senshi is here?" he asked of Trowa. The taller boy shrugged.  
  
'I really don't know,' he replied. 'But it is a possibility, judging from the look of this place.'  
  
"What do you mean?" Quatre asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
'The Soldier of Death would most certainly be thought to be found in a place as this.' Quatre winced, making a face at the crumbling, shadowy buildings and the fog that floated around their mount's feet.  
  
"Ew." He grumbled. "Soldier of Death indeed."  
  
Wufei snorted a chuckle and the other two smirked. Abruptly, Wing pulled up short, snorting in fear. Shenlong, Heavyarms and Sandrock did the same, neighing in fear and discomfort. The four boys all stiffened.  
  
Something was near. They could feel it.  
  
Something evil.  
  
Slowly, Heero slid off of Wing's back as the Pegasus stamped fearfully. Patting the creature on the neck, the young Prince stepped away from his mount, followed closely by Wufei and Trowa. Quatre remained astride Sandrock, hand clutching at his chest, eyes wide.  
  
"I.I can.it's so."  
  
Trowa gave the smaller boy a look.  
  
"Evil."  
  
The eyebrows of the other three boys rose, then drew down as their eyes narrowed. They scanned their surroundings warily, not sure what would be popping out at them from the shadows, but wanting to be ready for it anyway. Heero and Wufei drew their swords as Trowa pulled a dagger from his belt. Quatre sat on his horse, gasping in fear as his eyes flickered left and right, like a wild animal being stalked.  
  
The sound of tiny, scuttling feet caught everyone's attention and they jumped in surprise as about twelve large, obese rats with beady black eyes ran beneath their feet.  
  
Quatre squealed as Sandrock reared, neighing loudly. Grabbing the reins of his stallion, Quatre barely managed to prevent the small horse from running off as he kept a tight hold on Sandrock. The small horse whinnied nervously, ears pinned back as Quatre patted his neck, trying to calm him down. Several crows went flying by overhead, cawing raucously. Wufei growled in his throat, eyeing the large, black birds warily as they perched on the edge of a crumbling building just across from them. The birds watched them, their gaze steady and unwavering.  
  
"I don't like this one little bit," Wufei mumbled.  
  
"Neither do I," Heero agreed, his voice lowering to a whisper.  
  
Trowa took in a sharp breath, eyes wide as they flicked around. 'Whatever it is, it's getting closer,' he announced.  
  
"How do you know?" Quatre asked, still sitting on Sandrock.  
  
'The way the air moves, how it smells, and the direction the animals are taking,' he replied, nodding in the direction the rats had gone and where several of the birds had also flown. 'Did you see the rats and crows? They ran that way, all of them. It stands to reason that something is coming that they want to get away from.'  
  
"Maybe we should follow their example and run away too," Quatre meekly replied. Wufei made a face.  
  
"Only weaklings run from a battle," he growled, watching the shadows.  
  
"Only weaklings fight when they have no chance of winning!" A feminine announced loudly from behind them, as a great roar erupted and everyone was attacked.  
  
Heero, Wufei and Trowa fell beneath a pile of slick, coal-black, and powerful bodies. Large, clawed hands pummeled them as they tried to block the blows.  
  
Wufei screamed in rage as his sword was knocked from his grasp, but managed to roll from underneath his assailant and away. He leaped to his feet and took a fighting stance, as three jet-black, shriveled-looking creatures with lean muscles sneered at him, flexing their claws. He growled. "Come and get it then, you weak onnas!" he shouted. The beasts attacked.  
  
Nearby, Heero and Trowa stood back-to-back, sword and dagger raised defensively as similar creatures to the ones that were attacking Wufei swarmed on them. The two boys grunted and screamed, knocking away the beasts as best they could, slashing at them and kicking out to prevent the terrible claws from reaching their tender flesh. Heero's eyes blazed with fury and Trowa's face was pulled into a grim, determined mask. Barely managing to keep the demons at bay, the two didn't have time to think about their comrades.  
  
They just fought, as a very large crow flew away from the scene on silent wings.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The crow came to land on a windowsill atop a great tower that looked to be several hundred years old. Shattered glass windows revealed an equally dirty interior, with broken wooden flooring and dust everywhere. The ceiling was open in several places as it had crumbled and fallen in. Rats scurried in the corners and bats hung in the shadows where the roof was still intact. More crows sat on all things they could; a great, decrepit old organ in the corner, an altar covered in black velvet cloth that was rotting away and had several candles on it, rotting chairs and tables, and anything else they could, including windows.  
  
The crow cawed gently, then louder when there was no answer. It ruffled its feathers in annoyance, and cawed a third time Bats screeched back at it, and it snapped harmlessly at them. It looked around, feathers raised as there was still no answer.  
  
It was about to caw again when the sound of footsteps on hardwood floors came it its ears. The crow squawked happily as a black-cloaked figure appeared from the shadows, eyes flashing green in the darkness. It raised a hand toward the crow, and it flapped its wings, crossing the distance between them and landing on the figure's outstretched hand. It began to squawk at the shadowed one quickly, telling it all that it had seen.  
  
The cloaked one nodded, and stroked the bird's head. "Thank you, Hammel," the figure whispered in a young, male voice. "You have been quite helpful." The eyes within the hood narrowed and sparked with anger as it stepped toward the window, letting the crow fly off. The figure gazed at the city below him, eyes staring at where a fight seemed to be occurring. He sniffed, and his eyebrows went up in surprise.  
  
He could smell life. He hadn't caught the scent of life in many, many years.it had been so long since he had smelled one who hadn't been resurrected that he almost didn't recognize it. Closing his eyes for a moment, he drifted in remembrance of his life before the city was thrashed and destroyed by an army of the West.  
  
A loud, derisive snort caught his attention, and he turned to see a very large figure in the shadows, eyes glowing a bright green as it stared. He smiled and nodded as he approached the large creature, climbing on its back.  
  
"Let's go and see who's crashed our party," he hissed. The creature let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the entire city as it hurled itself through the already shattered window and into the night sky.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Enough of this!"  
  
The beasts froze in their attack, as did the three battling teens. Everyone turned to see a tall, blonde girl about their age with ice-blue eyes and forked eyebrows standing behind them. She was dressed as slinky as she could get while still looking like a warrior. A long, jagged-edged sword was held loosely but firmly in her hand, and she was smirking evilly.  
  
The sword tip was at Quatre's throat, where three demons held his arms tight and kept him from running away. The blonde had a frightened look on his face, and he squirmed uncomfortably in the monster's grips, whimpering in fear. "Trowa." His eyes sought out that of the taller boy's, displaying terror.  
  
Trowa snarled and tried to make for the blonde, but the beasts leaped in front of him and he was forced to stop. Immediately, Heero was at his side, and moments later, Wufei joined them, all three of the boys shooting daggers with their eyes at the blonde girl before them who was laughing gaily at them.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Heero demanded, muscles tense as he tried to think of a way to save Quatre.  
  
"Oh, me?" the girl asked mockingly. "You don't know who I am?"  
  
"Of course not, onna!" Wufei roared. "How are we supposed to know when we've never seen you before?"  
  
The girl feigned surprise. "Well, my dear Wufei," she purred, and the boy's eyebrows rose, "I know your name."  
  
As Wufei sputtered, Trowa stepped forward, eyes glowering. 'What do you want with us?' he demanded.  
  
The girl smirked. "To kill you, of course." The eyes of all three boys widened as she motioned to the demons holding Quatre, and they moved to snap his body to pieces.  
  
"NO!" Heero roared, throwing himself toward the boy as he began to cry out in fear.  
  
Abruptly, a very large and angry crow dropped on the demon's heads, shrieking loudly. Its wings flapped and beat at them as its claws raked at their thick, scaly flesh. The beasts screeched in fear and surprise, letting go of Quatre to swat at the crow that was attacking them. It flew out of their reach quickly, cawing at them.  
  
The blonde fell to his knees, scrambling forward, where he was grabbed up by the long-haired girl. She sneered into his face as she yanked his head back, causing him to cry out. The three boys watching snarled, as the girl turned to them.  
  
"What sort of trick was that?" she demanded. "Sending birds to attack my soldiers? How pathetic!" As Heero, Wufei and Trowa pondered that, the girl hissed. "You wanted to know who I am? Fine! I will tell you before you die. My name is Dorothy Catalonia." Her eyes narrowed.  
  
"And you will all die. Starting with him!" She made to twist her captive's neck when a piercing shriek tore through the air, startling them all.  
  
A swarm of crows zoomed in on the small group, cawing and screaming as rats of all sizes scuttled beneath their feet, squeaking in rage. Shaggy-haired dogs of a very large size and all of which seemed to be starving came running from the alleys, followed by underweight, equally ragged cats of all sizes, though all of them had one thing in common-anger in their eyes. The animals cawed and squeaked and growled and hissed respectively as they snapped at the feet and bodies of the beasts, causing the creatures to shriek in pain and terror as they were beset by the underfed animals. Black blood dripped across the ground, disappearing into the cracks in the sidewalk as one by one, each beast fell.  
  
Dorothy stared, as did the other teens, as the beasts all ran off, howling in pain and fear as many of the ragged animals chased them, snapping at their heels. The blonde girl's eyes narrowed. "You weak, pathetic fools!" she screamed after the beasts, still holding onto Quatre. She growled at the boys who had started to move toward her. "One wrong move and the kid gets it!" she warned.  
  
Suddenly, a low growling sound came from behind her. She turned to see several very large dogs and about six or seven cats all watching her, growling and hissing. Their ears were laid flat and their fur bristled, muscles stiff as they began to advance on the girl. Dorothy hissed back at them.  
  
"If you want this boy to live, you will stay back," she whispered evilly. The animals stopped, and she laughed.  
  
"If YOU want to live, lady, then let him go," a low voice spoke from the shadows in a threatening tone. Everyone turned to see a shadowed figure sitting on top of a very large.  
  
"Oh, my gods." Wufei hissed.  
  
It was a demonicorn.  
  
A unicorn of the demons, with a very large horn and bat-like wings that spread far and wide, at least thirty feet. It was a pale creature with a shaggy, unkempt body and elongated ears at least a foot long. Its legs were thin yet powerful, hoofs cloven and sharp, with a tail that dragged in the dirt and a mane that fell to its chest. Two glowing green eyes stared at them from beneath the forelock that slipped down to the creature's slim muzzle, and its heavy, slightly furred wings folded back, cupping the rider in their shadow. It looked more like a deer than a horse, with its long neck and sleek form, but it definitely was not.  
  
It snarled at Dorothy.  
  
The rider spoke again. "Lady, if you know what's best for you, you will release him and get out of my city." His eyes narrowed. "Right now."  
  
Dorothy swallowed, warily watching the demonicorn. Yet still, she had enough guts to glare at the rider. "No."  
  
The rider stiffened. "What did you say?" he asked in a dangerous tone. The demonicorn growled low in its throat and took a menacing step towards her. Dorothy gulped as the rider's eyes also began to glow, and a green light surrounded both steed and rider. Forks of green lightning lashed out from the two, slapping Dorothy yet passing Quatre by, knocking the girl to the ground.  
  
Quatre bolted for Trowa, who wrapped the boy up in his protective embrace, as they now all watched the demonicorn and its strange rider. Heero and Wufei stood in front of the other two, protecting them as best they could.  
  
Dorothy choked, coughing up blood as she struggled to her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw her own blood, then narrowed again. She turned to glare at the strange rider. "You." she hissed, blood dribbling down her chin. "You hurt me!"  
  
The rider snorted. "Well, DUH!"  
  
The blonde's mouth dropped open. "How dare you!" She was about to leap to her feet to teach the upstart a lesson when a silky voice purred in her ear. She stopped, and listened.  
  
"My dear Dorothy, your time there is up.'  
  
1 'What? Why? I know I can beat them, just give me a-'  
  
"It isn't that, my dear. Shindoshi comes, and you must not be there when he arrives."  
  
'But-'  
  
"No buts Dorothy! You must return to me, or at least get out of and as far from that city as you can. It is not safe for you, and I will need you to kill them later.'  
  
Dorothy bowed her head. 'Yes, Master.' She opened her eyes and glared at the four boys and the odd rider before her, a sneer on her lips. "Well, boys, it's time for me to go," she growled, standing up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. She smirked. "Duty calls, or rather, the Master does." She glared at Heero and the other three. "I'll see you four later. And then you will die." Then she turned her glare on the rider, who glared back at her. "This is not finished."  
  
"Obviously," the other stated sarcastically. Dorothy sneered, then vanished into the shadows.  
  
The demonicorn growled again and turned its head to stare at the four boys. The rider did the same, then slowly slid off the creature's back. He patted its neck, and walked towards Heero, Trowa, Wufei and Quatre. The winged creature followed closely at his heels as the animals who had attacked Dorothy followed the demonicorn as a safe distance. Wherever the steed's hoofs landed, the ground turned black and decayed, and the fog that had surrounded them before was thicker around the bat-winged horse.  
  
The rider stopped five feet away from the four teens, seeming to watch them curiously. After a few long minutes of scrutiny, the rider spoke. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Don't you know that the living aren't supposed to be in the City of the Dead? You're liable to get yourselves killed!" There was the hint of humour in his voice, but the rider didn't seem to be joking. Heero swallowed.  
  
"We were on a journey, and came upon your city completely by accident," he said, something inside telling him to give the utmost respect to the strange rider with the demonicorn at his heels. First impressions were always good, he figured. "I apologize if we have violated anything-" The rider interrupted.  
  
"You haven't broken any rules, except maybe the ones for your sanity," he snorted. "You can come and go in here as you please, it's just not a very good idea. There are a lot of things in here that would be after your blood, because they haven't had it in so long." The eyes, which had turned from glowing green to a deep violet, clouded over. "There hasn't been anything alive here for at least two hundred years."  
  
Quatre pulled away from Trowa and took a step toward the rider, aquamarine eyes boring into the violet depths of the other's. "But what about you?" the blonde whispered. "Why did you save me? And why do you live here?"  
  
The rider shrugged. "What about me? Nothing about me. I saved you because I didn't think you deserved to die. And technically, I don't live here." He chuckled. "I don't live here at all."  
  
The other four were silent for a moment, trying to puzzle out what the strange rider was saying, but failing. Finally, Wufei spoke.  
  
"Why don't you show us you face?" he demanded, shivering slightly. "I do not like speaking to a creature that has no face." The rider laughed lightly.  
  
"Oh, you get used to that sort of thing if you're around long enough," he said, once again puzzling the other four. But, complying with Wufei's wish, he dropped the hood and let them see him.  
  
Their jaws dropped.  
  
He was beautiful.  
  
Two large, expressive violet eyes peered out from beneath chestnut-gold bangs, and a long braid that fell to his waist hung over his shoulder. Milky white skin seemed to blend with the pale robe that had red and black embroidery on it in a strange design that none of the boys recognized. A pair of ebony black, tight pants and a crimson red silk shirt lay beneath the robe, and the braid was tied back by a red silk ribbon. His smile seemed to light up their dreary surroundings, as he stuck out his hand.  
  
"Greetings, strangers!" he said. He shook Heero's hand roughly, violet eyes boring into cobalt blue as Heero stood, completely stunned by the vision before him.  
  
"Uhhh."  
  
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't talk much?" he asked the others. Quatre giggled, Trowa rolled his eyes and Wufei stared jealously at the braided boy. The boy frowned as Wufei, eyes flashing. "Something wrong?" he asked, voice soft.  
  
Wufei gulped, eyes widening. "N-No."  
  
The boy's smile returned, quick as a flash as he winked knowingly at Wufei. "Alright." The other boy blinked, but a shaky smile returned to his own features as he watched the demonicorn moving toward their own steeds. Shenlong snorted and moved to intercept the strange creature's move toward Wing. Wufei swallowed.  
  
"I'm Quatre, that's Heero, Trowa, and Wufei," the blonde boy was telling the braided rider, who watched them all carefully for a few moments. He grinned.  
  
"What brings y'all here?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. His smile didn't falter as Heero, having gotten over his initial shock at having another gorgeous guy meet up with them, explained their journey and all that came with it, as far as he knew.  
  
Meanwhile, the demonicorn was getting acquainted with Shenlong, Wing, Heavyarms and Sandrock. The unicorn and the Pegasus seemed to be the most at ease with the creature, seeing as how they were all immortal and had one thing in common: magic. Sandrock and Shenlong seemed more wary of the horse- like creature, though the little red stallion was pleased to be meeting something new. The five steeds were sniffing at each other, though none of them quite touched the demonicorn, only brushed their muzzles right over his shaggy skin.  
  
"Umm.what's your.uh.demonicorn's name?" Quatre asked, watching as the five horses (respectively) seemed to converse, the bat-winged, pale creature standing tall over Sandrock and Shenlong, though not as heavy as Heavyarms or as tall as Wing.  
  
The boy grinned. "Oh, that's Shinigami," he said, almost casually. Everyone's heads snapped around to stare at him as a grin crossed his features and his eyes glinted knowingly. "I am afraid I haven't properly introduced myself," he continued.  
  
Stepping forward, he gave them all a snappy salute.  
  
"Hey! I'm Duo Maxwell," he said, smiling as his eyes flickered an eerie green in the darkness, as the meager light made him seem to glow in a frighteningly ethereal way. "I am the Shi no Senshi." He smirked, causing the other four boys to flinch slightly.  
  
"Damn, it's good to be Death."  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
  
  
So.how was it? How do you like Duo's horse, Shinigami? Cool, eh? Yes, I KNOW that Duo's gundam is black and that's what color his horse should be, but it's NOT because I am changing it! It will all make sense later, so to find out you'll have to bear with my slowness and keep reading! Oh, and sorry for anyone out there who wasn't aware this was a yaoi fic. Whoops.heh- heh. Mail me at: pippin_elf@yahoo.com or horde_king@yahoo.ca. 


	6. Chapter Five-The Crystal Cave

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.

OR

http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!! Oh, and I forgot something…Shinigami (the demonicorn) is FEMALE! Just so ya know. ^_~

Warnings: Ummm…pretty much the same as all, just without any make-out scenes or anything. 

__

Chapter Five—The Crystal Caves

After five minutes of talking, the companions (now with their fifth member) left the city. Duo had said that he wasn't comfortable with them being in the City of the Dead, as they learned the real name of it, and Quatre had backed him up by saying that he felt something terrible coming. Something more frightening than Dorothy Catalonia (if that were possible) and her minions.

So they left, Duo astride his demonicorn, Shinigami, who kept at least five feet away from the others the entire time they traveled through the city. A flock of crows were always overhead and when Wufei asked about them, Duo told him to pay them no mind. They were harmless, he said. 

Wufei had given the braided boy a strange look, but had concentrated on the journey ahead, mind brimming with questions to ask the beautiful creature. He found himself watching the braided boy as they moved, staring at the long chestnut hair and the soft-looking lips.

He wasn't the only one.

Heero also couldn't keep his eyes off of Duo, and if there were a law against staring, he'd have been prosecuted a dozen times already. Needless to say, both Wufei and Heero's eyes hardly left the boy riding the demonic mare.

Rats, dogs, and cats, all of them ragged and scrawny were seen pacing them, following in the shadows as they passed the crumbling buildings by. The animals made four of the boys nervous, but Duo only shrugged at them. "They're harmless too," he told his companions.

By the time they had reached the edge of the city, which was, for some reason, less decrepit than the center, it had been almost a week. The city was extremely large, and went into the distance, but they had finally reached its end. Now they were upon a forest of trees a hundred feet tall and thick with shrubbery. It reminded Wufei of his former home, and he loved it immediately.

"So, what are we looking for now?" Duo asked Heero, who stared at the forest before them with a wary eye. Behind them, the animals had stopped at the edge of the city, gleaming eyes staring from the shadows as they watched the group. None of the animals dared to leave the city, however, though Quatre and Trowa (who had been watching them the entire time) couldn't figure out why.

Heero shrugged. "I suppose we have to find the weapons we need to defeat Shindoshi," he replied. He looked at Duo, face blank. "I have no idea what to do now."

The braided boy raised an eyebrow, then began to laugh.

"It really isn't all that amusing, Duo," Wufei said, frowning. Duo snickered.

"Sure it is," he replied, going off into gales of laughter again.

Quatre sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked at Trowa. "You seem to know the most about this journey of ours, why don't YOU tell us what we should do next?"

Trowa made a face. _'Well, first of all we must begin to search for the weapons that will help us defeat Shindoshi.'_

"Well, DUH," Duo muttered, having been filled in on all that was happening as his eyes scanned the forest before them, somewhat wistfully. Trowa glared at the braided boy before continuing.

__

'I believe, that since we are in the North, that we should search for Duo's weapons first,' he said, giving the other boy a pointed look.

"What?" the braided youth asked innocently, batting his eyes at Trowa. The taller boy rolled his eyes.

__

'You know this land better than anyone,' was the reply. _'Are there any old stories that speak of any magical weapons nearby?'_

Duo frowned, thinking. "Well…there's one…" He trailed off, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, also frowning. Absently he rubbed the cloth over his heart as a slight twinge of pain and fear came from the braided boy.

"Oh, it's just…the place where the legend says the weapons supposedly is…" He paused again, sighing. "It's dangerous, and…it brings back bad memories."

"You've been there?" Wufei asked incredulously.

Duo made a face. "Well…yes. But only once, and I swore I'd never go back."

"What bad memories?" Heero asked, frowning. The distress on the other boy's face made his heart lurch, and he found himself wondering just what the hell was wrong with him. He had only met the boy, and he was feeling this way? _Grow up, Heero!_ He berated himself. _What reason would a creature like that have for liking YOU?_

Duo sighed. "Just…bad memories," was the evasive reply. "Old memories. But I think that that place would probably be the first place to start looking, if you want to find a magical weapon."

"What is this place and where is it?" Wufei asked.

"It's called The Crystal Caves, and is in the very heart of the forest." Duo replied, looking slightly shaken, though he hid it well. "It's called that because it's made completely of crystal, and it's very beautiful. It's also very dangerous, though, because of the amount of magic in it. Apparently, the one who wielded the weapon before died there, and cursed the place." He shuddered. "I believe it, too." Shaking his head, the braided boy gave the others a serious look. "But that is probably what you're looking for. The weapon is called the _Shi no Kama_, and is supposed to be very powerful."

"Scythe of Death?" Quatre asked, wrinkling his nose. "How drab."

Duo snickered.

Trowa nodded to the braided boy. _'Very well. Lead the way.'_

Duo nodded and, spurring Shinigami into a trot, moved into the forest. The other boys trailed behind, watching the area around them just in case Dorothy Catalonia decided to come back for another round.

* * * * * * * * * * *

__

Cold…so cold…everything is so cold, what's wrong? Where am I? What's going on?

"Solo? Cecilia? Jaxon?"

No reply. Only…silence. They aren't screaming anymore.

"Where are you guys? Come on, this isn't funny!"

Fear. Oh gods, I'm so scared…

Cold.. It was so cold…

Hissing…

Groaning…

"Solo?"

Fear. Something else is in here with me I can feel it…

Scufflings across the cold floor made of crystal, echoing throughout the caves. Heavy breathing and low moans drift to my ears. I whimper.

"Cecilia?! Jaxon!?"

Footsteps.

"Guys, this isn't funny STOP IT!"

A hand clamps around my throat, and I turn to see…

"Great Shinigami…" I hiss, my eyes growing wide.

I scream as the zombies of my friends take hold of me, strangling me as Solo leans in, fat, rotting lips pressing against mine in a kiss of death as their powerful hands squeeze…

* * * * * * * * * * *

It was three days later by the time they reached the heart of the forest and the location of The Crystal Caves. During their travel, Duo had become more and more restless, jumpy even. He often had the look of a wild animal being stalked, and both Wufei and Heero were being affected by the braided boy's mood. Duo's unease spread to the other two, which in turn led to unnerving Quatre, which led to Trowa's grouchiness. Their steeds weren't much better off, and by the time they came in sight of their destination, all of them were either needlessly frightened or aggravated, respectively.

Duo lifted a slightly shaking hand to point at the gaping mouth of the cave, where from inside a slight glow and shimmering could be seen. "There they are," he whispered, voice quiet and manner subdued. "The Crystal Caves." His eyes were clouded, fear in their violet depths.

Quatre swallowed. "Is this such a good idea?" he murmured, clutching his chest. "I don't like it. It feels…menacing…"

__

'We don't have much of a choice, Quatre,' Trowa replied, frowning. _'Unless we want the world to be destroyed, then we must go in and at least see if the weapon is the right one.'_

The blonde sighed forlornly. Heero and Wufei only stared, hiding their own fear.

Duo pouted, but nodded. "Oh, all right…I was just kind of hoping that we wouldn't really have to go in there, you know…"

It was obvious that none of them really wanted to go into the caves. There was something menacing about the way the mouth of the cave looked…like it wanted to eat them alive, swallow them whole, suck them down into the pits of Darkness while tentacles grasped at them like powerful worms and they screamed in terror…

Creepy.

Shaking his head roughly, Duo finally choked out, "Well, commute me or execute me. I don't wanna drag this out."

Heero nodded, a smirk on his face. "Let's do this."

The five boys slid off the backs of their respective steeds and moved towards the cave, eyes narrowed and ready for danger.

* * * * * * * * * *

__

Two hundred years.

Two hundred damned years.

Two hundred FUCKING years for this city to go straight to the pits. Crumbling, dirty, and unfit for any living creature.

Perfect for a member of the undead armies.

Awful for any living person to come across.

Not even the animals are alive anymore. They died off long ago…they can't leave the city, because the magic in it keeps them alive…sort of.

More like zombies, really. The crows, the dogs, cats and rats, among the other…things, that wander around here at night.

That's another thing. None of us can really go out in the day; the sunlight'll burn our flesh right off.

Well…not me. I can go out during the day, I just have to cover up pretty well. I guess it's a good thing to be kind of sun-resistant. Built in sunscreen. Heh-heh. Lucky me.

Two hundred years of wandering around this damned city without another living creature to talk to. Crows don't count, and neither do the dogs or cats, though they're pretty useful to find things out quick. Nah, fifty years after I came back from the Caves, nearly everyone had died. One hundred years later and not one semi-intelligent creature remains in the land I call my home.

Plagues, and accidents.

Accidents? Hardly. It was a fucking curse.

First it started with my caretakers, and then it moved onto my friends. Every person I came in contact with died within a week, and anyone who came in contact with the infected ones died after that. Some of them turned into zombies, some of them just fell asleep and never woke up, and others…

They just changed. They…transformed. Not quite human, and not quite demon. They morphed into things more hideous than can be imagined, bodies swollen and malformed, new limbs growing out, limbs falling off, their skin feeling while their faces and heads twisted and turned grotesque…they can't go out in daylight at all. They sit in the Labyrinths all day long, groaning and moaning, gnawing on the flesh of their loved ones and any that happen to have been caught by them that day. Very few people come along to my city, after what happened.

Meals are scarce for my people, so they make the best of what they get. They even go after the animals, even though they're dead to. Both animals and…morphed humans feast on each other if one is caught off-guard. It's horrible. I can still hear the smacking of their swollen lips and the gnashing of their crooked fangs…

I cursed them…cursed them all.

It's all my fault.

Solo, Cecilia and Jaxon…

It was my idea.

They told me the Caves were cursed.

I wish I had believed them.

* * * * * * * * *

Low moaning echoed in the crystal-made caves, bouncing softly off the walls. The small waterfalls and running water of the rivers within the cave masked the sound of shuffling feet. Cloth rustling and flesh brushing against crystal was also masked, and so none of the five boys wandering in the caves heard anything suspicious, and remained unaware.

* * * * * * * * *

It was several hours later when the five boys came upon what they were searching for.

Heero had his sword out, taking no chances. Something about these caves had frightened the braided boy, and he was going to make sure nothing happened to the young boy. Eyes narrowed, Heero slowly made his way forward, at the head of the team. Wufei was right behind the young Prince, walking on his toes with his own sword out and ready to strike at anything that appeared threatening. His eyes flickered back and forth, watching and waiting for an enemy to appear. Trowa, Quatre and Duo walked together, also watching their surroundings with wary eyes. Duo was the more nervous of the three, though Trowa almost matched him with his tenseness.

Moving slowly through a short tunnel, the five boys abruptly came upon a wider area. They stepped in, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

This part of the cave was large, and perfectly round. A small moat with crystal clear water in it surrounded an altar made of crystal. Icicles hung menacingly from the ceiling, ready to fall on the heads of the unsuspecting. Upon the altar sat a large scythe, made from black volcanic crystal for the staff, while the blade was made of diamonds, sharp and unrelenting. The weapon seemed to glow of its own accord, and it astounded the boys that, although there were no holes in the ceiling, that any light at all was in the room.

"Look," Quatre whispered, pointing to the scythe. "Is that the Shi no Kama?"

Duo nodded slowly, eyes locked on the skeletons that were scattered about the small room, face pulled into a grimace. "Yes, it is," he whispered back, not once looking at the scythe. He seemed to be purposefully avoiding it. Quatre frowned.

"It's your weapon, Duo," he hissed. "You should go get it."

Duo swallowed. "Do I have to?" he whined softly, violet eyes staring at three skeletons in the corner, dressed in rotten and filthy rags that had been ripped apart. His eyes were glazed as they scanned the room, his voice piteously frightened. Quatre put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you want, I'll get it with you," the blonde whispered. "You don't have to do it alone."

Duo smiled and nodded, grateful. "Thank you, Quatre." His voice was sincere and full of gratitude. Quatre smiled and wrapped an arm around the braided boy's shoulder, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from the other boys.

"Duo and I are going to fetch his weapon really quick," the blonde told their companions. "He doesn't want to do it alone, but I doubt we're going to be in any danger so we don't need the warriors." He smirked. "You guys can see us as we go."

Heero nodded, allowing the blonde to escort the braided youth towards the altar, crossing the tiny bridge and moving towards the beautiful weapon. All the while, Quatre kept up a reassuring, soft chatter to the other boy, who smiled nervously and nodded.

They reached the altar, and just as Duo was about to take hold of the weapon's staff, a loud, wet moan echoed loudly throughout the cave. All four boys froze, three of them drawing their weapons while the other two stared around in fear.

"What was that?" Quatre hissed, eyes wide as the sound of shuffling feet came to their ears, along with groans and moans that seemed to come from every direction.

Duo's own eyes widened as he looked back towards the door they had entered through. He pointed, hand trembling violently. "Them…" he whispered. Everyone turned to where he was pointing, and their eyes widened.

Zombies, the undead, were crawling and staggering their way into the room, rotted and wet, bulging flesh being ripped off and left to slip fatly down the wall as they dragged themselves across the crystal floors, and along the walls. Their sunken eyes, dead and black as night, stared reproachfully at the braided boy as they came forth from the darkness. One of them pointed accusingly at Duo and let out a horrid moaning noise.

"Great Eurynome!!" Duo wailed, eyes wide, taking a few steps back and bumping into the altar. He shook like a leaf, and sweat dripped down his face. "Save me!"

Heero leaped in front of the zombies, sword raised. His face was a mask of rage and hatred. His muscles tensed as he was joined by Wufei and Trowa, who both had their weapons drawn, prepared to battle.

It seemed as though the zombies were after Duo, since the three boys were being ignored in favor of the braided boy, who had fallen to his knees shaking and crying. "Eurynome save me, Eurynome save me," he whispered over and over, voice trembling as he called the name of the God of Death. "Don't let them get me again, don't let them get me again…"

Quatre, having sensed the distress Duo was in, knelt down to hug the boy, watching fearfully as their friends began to try and drive the zombies away. Swords sliced off rotten limbs as more of the undead surged forth from the entrance, moaning and groaning angrily. Heero and Wufei were back to back, battling off the creatures as they slowly moved forward.

The zombies weren't really a threat, there were just so many of them that the three boys found themselves hard-pressed to keep them at bay. They were being pushed back bit by bit, and several of the creatures had gotten past them.

Moaning, the zombies began to slither their way across the small bridge, not more than fifteen feet away from Quatre and Duo. The blonde was shaking as well, though he still had enough courage to keep his head. He whispered urgently to Duo, "You need to take up your weapon! I think it can beat them!"

Duo shuddered, eyes watching in terror as the zombies contaminated the clear water with their stinking flesh, moving through it as though they were dreaming. "I—I can't, Quatre," he whispered. "It's my fault they're like this, all my fault," he hissed. "Janine, Marty, Sean…" He began naming the zombies, and Quatre watched in astonishment as each of them seemed to react to their names, slowing down to look at the braided boy. "Harris, Frank, Joan…"

Duo seemed to be in his own world as he kept on with the list of names, the crowd of the undead growing larger, as Heero, Wufei and Trowa were beaten back. The three boys stared in fear as the zombies kept moving toward Quatre and Duo, moaning, hands reaching out to grasp at them.

One of them grabbed Quatre in its wormy grip and he screamed. "Duo!!"

The braided boy snapped out of whatever world he had been in and looked at his friend, in the grasp of his former townsmen. His eyes widened, then narrowed. Struggling to his feet, he slapped away the groping hands that reached for him. His own hands closing on the staff of the scythe, Duo held it high in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Leave him alone!! I won't let you kill any more of my friends!!"

With that, the braided boy attacked the zombies. The scythe cut through air and zombie flesh with amazing speed and agility as Duo began to glow an eerie green color. His eyes blazed with fury as he darted through the throng of the undead, screaming mindlessly as he went.

The zombies, moaning loudly in fear, began to back away as the scythe itself began to glow, and lightning flashed in the small cavern. Duo shrieked as he cut through their enemy like they were gossamer, and he leveled nearly half of them in less than a minute. Charging forward, the braided boy threw himself at the zombies still battling with Heero, Wufei and Trowa. He swung his weapon fiercely, and rotten flesh flew everywhere as he moved like a ghost through the horde.

Quatre ran to Trowa the second he had been freed from the zombie's grasps, and was embraced protectively by the taller boy. The two watched as Duo ransacked the zombies, eyes and body glowing brightly as he laughed maniacally.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE SHI NO SENSHI HAS COME FOR YOUR SOULS!!"

Heero and Wufei joined the other two boys as Duo finished off the last of the zombies, panting loudly as the rotten head rolled away, thunking lightly against the wall. Gasping for breath from exertion, Duo turned slightly to look at his friends.

Then he looked back at the zombies.

His eyes watered. "I killed them again," he whispered. Putting a hand to his head, he dropped his scythe to the floor with a clatter. His chest hitched as a sob wrenched its way from his throat. "I cursed them to be like this…I killed them once, and I…I did it again…"

Luckily, Heero moved fast and he managed to catch the braided boy before he hit the ground. His cobalt eyes wide, Heero looked down into the face of the Shi no Senshi, Heero couldn't help but feel utter sorrow for the boy in his arms. Face twisted in pain and tears rolling down his cheeks as he cried, Duo was a wreck. Obviously, he had seen more than Heero cared to imagine, and none of it was good. Whatever emotions he had pent-up inside of himself were now letting loose, and Heero wanted to do whatever he could to comfort the other boy in his pain.

Clutching onto Heero for support, Duo sobbed as he remembered the zombies in their living years, how they had laughed with him, cried with him, comforted him when he needed them, and had made his life what it was in those days. He also remembered how each and every one of them had 'died,' or rather, transformed to what they were when he killed them the second time.

"It's all my fault," Duo wailed into Heero's chest as the others surrounded them, Quatre rubbing the braided boy's back encouragingly as Wufei stroked his hair. Trowa put his hand on the other boy's shoulder in silent comfort as he shook. "It's all my fault…"

"What's your fault, Duo?" Quatre asked gently, still rubbing his back.

"THEM!" the other boy wailed. "It's my fault they're like that! It's my fault they were cursed and died and mutated and everything! They told me this place was haunted, but I didn't believe them! I wanted to see the Scythe of Death myself, to prove that the legend was true. I came here…all those years ago…and…my friends…they died in here from other zombies…and I got cursed…" He choked out the rest. "They all died…everyone I came in contact with, and then…the disease spread from me, to them, to others, until EVERYONE was gone and I was left alone…" He hiccuped. "All those years living…no, NOT living like that…they're dead…and it's all my fault…"

__

'How long ago was this, Duo?' Trowa asked gently. Duo shuddered.

"Over two hundred years ago…"

The others stared, shocked. "K'so," Wufei hissed, awed.

"You've been alive all this time?" Quatre whispered.

Duo shook his head. "Not alive…not…alive…" he whimpered.

Heero swallowed, eyes watering with sympathy for the boy in his arms. _Now I know what he meant before…and it's no wonder he's the Soldier of Death…_

He IS Death…

To be continued….

So, whaddaya think? You like, or no? Duo is kinda becoming the main character here, though I'm trying to focus on ALL of the guys…hmm…oh well. Duo rocks anyway. ^_~ Drop me a line or just review! pippin_elf@yahoo.com or horde_king@yahoo.ca

Bye!


	7. Chapter Six-Saying Goodbye

Chapter Six—Saying Goodbye

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.

OR

http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!! 

Warnings: AU, weird shit…

__

Chapter Six—Saying Goodbye

Clutching his scythe in sweaty palms, Duo followed the others out of the Crystal Caves to where their steeds awaited them. Quatre once again kept up a steady stream of chatter, telling him the horrors of having twenty-nine sisters and how terrible it gone during THAT time of the month; how he was always accused of 'not understanding what they were going through', even though he could feel it through his uchuu no kokoro. Heero, Trowa and Wufei found themselves hard-pressed not to laugh at some points, and Duo, despite his misery over what had happened, often found himself giggling at the tales the blonde told him.

When they reached their mounts, Shinigami immediately trotted towards Duo, who had become solemn once more upon sight of the pale creature. The demonicorn sniffed him all over, before seeming to pronounce him safe by shrilling at the sky. She flapped her wings and sidled up to the braided boy, and he found himself grinning at the large, frightening animal.

"Hey, Shinni," he whispered, stroking her muzzle. "You missed a great fight." The demonicorn whuffed into his hand, and he smiled.

Wufei watched the interaction between boy and steed with fascination. He had been impressed with the boy's fighting skills, and his control over such an ancient and magical beast as a demonicorn further rose the dark youth's respect for the violet-eyed boy. _Ah, if only Shenlong were as powerful as she,_ he thought, watching Shinigami with interest.

Shenlong neighed shrilly, and Wufei chuckled, patting the gray mare's neck. "I am content with you as you are," he told the horse, who snorted at him. Wufei rolled his eyes. "Though it would be nice if you were stronger." Shenlong stamped her foot and flattened her ears as Wufei took her reins, leading her towards the others.

"So where do we go from here?" Quatre was asking Trowa, as Wufei approached. "We've got Duo's weapon, now we need the other four. We're kind of in the middle of everything here, we can go East or West and be there quick either way, but then we'd have to go in the complete opposite direction after that."

Heero nodded. "True, Quatre. We should make up our minds on which way we want to go, because really, it doesn't matter WHAT weapon we get first, as long as we get them."

__

'I vote we go to the East,' Trowa said. Wufei made a face. 

"We just came from the East," he groused. "Why must we go back so soon?"

__

'Because we know the way is safe for now, and besides, one of the weapons lies in your home country.'

Wufei blanched. "Trowa…"

Quatre sighed. "We really shouldn't argue about this, everyone. Arguing isn't going to solve anything, and won't help us beat Shindoshi."

__

'The way to China is safe, Wufei. We passed through those lands already. You know this.'

"It doesn't make returning to my home country any easier, Trowa," Wufei snorted. "Not when your own father is out for your blood."

"My city isn't safe right now."

Everyone turned to look at Duo, who had spoken. His eyes were glazed over, and he trembled ever so slightly. Looking at Trowa, Duo spoke again. "My city is not safe right now." He repeated.

"How do you know?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow. Duo pointed to a tree, and the others followed his gaze to see a very large, very old crow perched among the branches, watching them with beady black eyes that seemed ageless.

"He says that Shindoshi has come to the City of the Dead," the braided boy continued, eyes not leaving the crow as it stared at them. "All the…animals, and people…are gone. They're hiding in the Labyrinths." He shuddered. "And the Labyrinths are the only way to get through the city without Shindoshi getting his hands on us."

"Why is that?" Wufei asked, eyes wide.

"Because they're as deep underground as you can get. There are seven levels of the Labyrinths, and there is only one way to get into the seventh level, which is where everything is hiding." Duo frowned, still watching the crow. "Shindoshi won't be able to follow us into the seventh level. Only those who are, or were, members of my city have access to the seventh level."

"What about us then?" Quatre asked, swallowing. Duo smiled sadly.

"I can bring you guys with me," he said. "Only those who are members, or are allowed access by members, can enter. So you're all safe." His face darkened. "From Shindoshi, anyway."

Heero frowned. "What exactly is down there?" he asked suspiciously.

Duo shuddered. "Things you don't want to know about," was the terse reply, before he looked back at the crow, which was swaying drunkenly on the branch. His gaze softened slightly. "Poor thing." Shinigami nickered softly; also watching the crow as it tried unsuccessfully to keep its balance.

__

'What's wrong with it?' Trowa asked.

"Did you see how none of the animals left the city?" Duo replied. When everyone nodded, he pointed to the crow. "Well, that's because they're linked to it. If they leave, whatever age they happen to be at will fast-forward, and they'll grow old in a matter of hours, so old that they die and crumble to dust. That's if they're out at night. If they get trapped outside during the day, their flesh burns off."

Everyone stared, shocked. Duo nodded. "This little guy risked himself to tell us that Shindoshi is in my city. He just saved us a lot of pain and a possible death." He smiled sadly. "Thank you, little buddy," he told the crow. Quatre caught on, realizing that the crow was about to die, and the best thing to do would be to thank it for its kindness.

"Thank you very much," the blonde said, bowing and smiling at the crow. 

"Arigato," Heero said, watching the bird, a smile twitching at his lips as he thought about the absurdity of talking to an animal. But then again, he talked to Wing and the Pegasus seemed to understand him, so why should it be different for the bird?

"I am in your debt," Wufei added, bowing deeply. "I thank you, friend."

__

'Thank you.' Trowa said, smiling slightly.

"Goodbye," Duo whispered as the crow cawed softly at them as though to say 'you're welcome', and then dropped like a rock to the ground below. 

It was dead before it hit.

Shaking his head, Duo walked over to the dead bird and picked it up. Turning around, he walked into the forest, followed closely by Shinigami. The others watched him go, confused but not stopping him. Obviously he was up to something that had nothing to do with them, so they let it be.

* * * * * * * * *

With the demonicorn at his heels, Duo carried the dead crow into the shadows of the forest, ignoring the cool tranquility of his surroundings. He didn't acknowledge the serenity of the woods, for his eyes were on the large bird in his arms and his thoughts on the past.

Shinigami nickered again, and Duo turned to see her standing in front of a huge willow tree, her legs buried in the grass all the way up to her knees. Flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes were scattered in the lush grass, and willow branches hung and swayed in the breeze around the demonicorn, blowing her mane and tail around gently. Duo smiled.

Perfect place to bury the bird. "You know the best places for burial, Shinni," he said, walking toward his steed and kneeling in the tall grass. Using his hands, Duo began to dig, with Shinigami hovering over his shoulder.

When he was done digging, Duo placed the bird into the hole and filled it up, patting the disturbed earth gently to keep it tight and solid. Sitting back and wiping his hands on his pants, Duo fell silent for a long time. The demonicorn's chin rested on his shoulder as they both stared at the brown earth that held the aged crow. The braided boy's brow was furrowed in thought as he stroked Shinigami's muzzle absently, his eyes sad.

"You always were my friend," Duo finally told the dead creature. "Even back then, you were always spying around and telling me things I should know. Like, when Johnny was after beating me up or when there were fresh donuts at the bakery. You always told me things I should know about, even after…after I…"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Duo's chest hitched as he tried to hold back tears. "Even after I cursed you all, you were all still loyal to me, especially you. Always there, always ready to defend me, to protect me, even though I can't…I can't…die, and you can." Duo opened his eyes, tears streaming freely down his face once more. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, bowing his head. His hands clenched into fists, handfuls of grass crushed in his palms. "I should have listened to you. I should never have gone to the Crystal Caves. I should have believed you when you told me they were cursed. I should have listened. I should have believed. I should have…"

IT IS TOO LATE FOR SHOULD HAVES, DUO.

Duo closed his eyes. "I should have…" he whispered.

THE PAST CANNOT BE ALTERED.

"I wish I had listened to them."

YOU ARE NOT A FORTUNE-TELLER .YOU DID NOT KNOW.

"But I should have…" Duo hissed.

PERHAPS. BUT IT IS TOO LATE NOW.

"What am I going to do?" Duo whispered eyes still closed. "I'm only going to curse them too. I don't want them to suffer like…like they did…"

EVERYONE DIES. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT UNLESS YOU ARE THE ONE TO DRIVE THE SWORD THROUGH THEIR HEART. YOU DID NOTHING OF THE SORT TO YOUR PEOPLE. YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME.

"But…"

ONE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF AN ENTIRE RACE. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE.

"I killed them…" Duo hissed.

FALSE. THE INTENT IS THE SAME AS THE DEED, DUO. IT WAS NOT YOUR INTENT TO BE CURSED, NOR DID YOU WISH FOR ANY OF THEM TO DIE. YOU DID NOT KILL THEM.

Opening his eyes again, Duo leaned back slightly, eyes wet. His back came in contact with a soft body, and he turned slightly to see Shinigami laying behind him, eyes carefully watching him. The demonicorn whuffed gently and nuzzled him. "What am I gonna do, Shinni?" Duo whispered, stroking the mare's cheek and running his fingers through her thick mane. "What the hell am I gonna do?"

MAKE AMENDS.

"How?" he whispered, leaning against the creature unconsciously.

AID THE OTHERS IN THEIR QUEST. MAKE RIGHT A FUTURE WRONG, AND PERHAPS THEN YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN.

Duo swallowed. "But I'll curse them…"

ONE CANNOT WORRY EXCESSIVELY OF THINGS THAT MAY NOT COME TRUE, FOR THAT IS NOT TRULY LIVING.

The braided boy sighed, looking at the disturbed earth where the crow was buried. Slowly, he got to his feet, with Shinigami mimicking his movements. Both steed and rider stared at the grave of the crow, and Duo smiled sadly.

"Goodbye, Solo," he whispered. "Maybe someday you'll forgive me."

With that, Duo turned and left the shade of the willow tree, the demonicorn right behind him as they returned to where their friends waited.

The grass and the willow branches swayed gently in the wind as a warm breeze drifted through the forest in the wake of the boy and his steed. Within the tree, a young, smaller crow watched from its nest as the two vanished from sight. It let out a small, unused caw before it fell silent, eyes staring after the braided boy long after he had vanished from sight.

To be continued…

I know, I know, this was really weird. Can you guess who the weird voice was? Yes? No? That will be explained later on too, as will the future of Wufei's little mare. Heh-heh. I only wrote this to get Duo out of his funk. Soon he'll be back to his bouncy self, I promise! Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks to all you reviewers! You've gotten my ass moving! (Too bad I still haven't finished Nightmares and Dreamscapes…urg.) Drop me a line at pippin_elf@yahoo.com or horde_king@yahoo.ca.


	8. Chapter Seven-Labyrinth

Chapter Seven—Labyrinth

Written by Azreal (aka Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

or

horde_king@yahoo.ca

http://www.geocities.com/horde_king/index.html - This has my creepier stories on it. Weird shit.

OR

http://www.geocities.com/dominus_pestilence/lordpestilence1.html - I got my drawings on this site!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, they aren't mine BLAH!!! 

Warnings: Some swearing, AU, weird shit…

__

Chapter Seven—Labyrinth

Upon returning to camp, Duo abruptly told the others that they were leaving.

And they were leaving NOW.

"But…what way are we going?" Quatre asked, stunned at the sudden change in his odd friend, who now had a fire in his eyes, a bounce in his step, and an aura that blazed with determination. Heero and Trowa immediately became alert, and watched the braided boy with interest.

"We're going to China," Duo declared as Shinigami shrilled her agreement. "And we're going to find Wuffie's weapon." The abrupt change in Duo was immediately noticed by the others, and caught like wildfire. Heero's eyes gleamed with respect and, for some reason, pride. Trowa's aura changed dramatically from melancholy to pleased and excited.

Wufei's chin lifted and the whining he had previously been engaged in stopped. His back went straight and his shoulders stiffened. "My name is Wufei, Duo," the dark youth said, indignant and slightly annoyed, yet pleased that Duo seemed back to normal, whatever normal was for him. He turned his nose up at the smaller boy. "It would be wise for you to be more respectful to a Prince."

"Last time I checked, you were an exiled Prince whose father wants dead," Duo calmly replied as he walked past Wufei, a smirk on his face. Picking up his scythe from where he had left it before, Duo swung the weapon over his shoulder and leaped on Shinigami's back. The demonicorn whinnied loudly as she pranced about, ready to be off. Duo threw the others a significant look. "Shall we?"

Quatre grinned, leaping on Sandrock's back as the small stallion trotted swiftly to where Shinigami stood. "As ready as we'll ever be!" the blonde replied cheerily. He dimly noticed that the second Duo's mood improved the rest of the boy's collective mood did the same. Not bothering to wonder about that, though, Quatre also gave their companions a look similar to Duo's. "You guys coming or what?"

The other three blinked.

"Hai!" Heero announced, leaping onto Wing's back to follow.

"Yes!" Wufei added, climbing on Shenlong.

__

'Of course,' Trowa said, as he mounted Heavyarms.

Duo grinned. "Great! Then let's head down to the Labyrinths and get the fuck outta here! I want to get this mission over with as quick as possible." The five steeds and riders vanished into the forest once more, though none of them noticed a deep black, very large crow following closely behind and above them, beady eyes never missing a single movement of any of them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

It was three hours later when the five reached the edge of the forest, and the beginning of Duo's city. The sight of three large, mangy dogs with extremely sharp-looking teeth waiting for them, tails wagging slightly greeted them. Duo's smile faltered for a moment then came back strong. Looking down at the dogs he scratched ones head.

"Hey there, Mishi," he said softly. The dog whined softly, tail wagging even harder. Duo smirked. "You knew we were coming, didn't you?" The dog barked. "You're taking a pretty big risk, you know. Shindoshi could have gotten you." If it could have, the dog would have shrugged insouciantly. Duo chuckled. "All right, let's get down to the seventh level before Freak Boy shows up."

All three of the mangy canines turned and trotted off along the edge of the city, the five boys and their steeds following close behind. They soon came to a set of double gates that looked to be made of iron and stone. Putting his hand on the door, Duo closed his eyes for a moment.

Slowly, the two heavy gates opened, creaking loudly in the odd silence of the deep night that had befallen the world. Dust billowed out in a cloud of hot air, along with a nasty stench that made all the boys cover their noses in disgust. The hallway within was a deep black, and nothing could be seen within except for a soft glow from deep within the belly of it.

Quatre made a face. "We have to go in _there_?" he asked, disgusted. Duo nodded, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Yep. These are the gateways to the Labyrinth, and then we have to go even deeper to get to the seventh level."

"Ick."

"Doubly."

Reaching into the darkness, Duo plucked a torch from a clip in the wall. Closing his eyes for a moment, the torch came to life, a bright orange flame flickering in the thick, hot wind that came from the depths of the cave. The others were surprised, but didn't question the braided boy as he followed the mangy dogs into the corridor, a bright glow from the torch lighting the way. Shinigami was right behind him, wings folded against her body as her cloven hoofs clattered against the dust-covered floor.

Shrugging the rest of the group followed. The gates banged shut behind them, a loud boom that echoed far and deep into the caverns before them in the darkness. Heero and Wufei both had their hands on the hilts of their swords, and were looking around warily. Quatre stayed close to Trowa, who edged closer to Duo and Shinigami, who gave them a curious glance before looking ahead once more. Shenlong, Wing, Heavyarms and Sandrock took up positions around the five boys, almost like honor guards. Their hoofs beat softly against the dusty floor as they walked, human and animal alike warily scanning their surroundings as they moved further and further into the belly of the beast.

And still, none of them had seen the crow slip in right before the door closed, flying above them on silent wings as its eyes bored into them like invisible daggers.

* * * * * * * * * *

Quatre was nervous.

Of course, he had every reason to be.

Beyond the light of the torch was utter darkness, a wall of night that seemed impenetrable, except for where the torchlight cut it like a blade. The floor creaked and popped loudly beneath their feet, and their footsteps (or hoof beats, in their mount's cases), echoed like thunder in the long corridor, which had (some time ago) turned into a twisting stairwell. The horrendous smell of decay and ancient rot grew as they descended deeper into the Labyrinth, and the air grew warmer and drier with each passing step. It was difficult to breathe, and the blonde found himself sweating profusely not an hour into their midnight journey into the deep. Every now and then he heard the odd flapping of wings and low growls, as well as moans, echoing throughout the darkness beyond the torchlight. Not to mention that Sandrock was as jittery as a cockroach, which didn't help Quatre's nerves either. The small stallion was usually as calm and gentle as a summer's day, but the entire time since they had entered the Labyrinth he had been nervous and jumpy.

Quatre didn't blame him. He felt the same way.

Pressing himself up against Trowa's side, Quatre leaned against the taller boy in an effort to gain emotion support, even if it was silent. None of the boys had spoken much since they entered the seemingly forsaken place they were in. It seemed almost…blasphemous, and they were all frightened to some degree.

Looking down at the blonde, Trowa wrapped an arm around his koi's shoulders, squeezing gently. Quatre smiled up at him, and once again Trowa was struck by how beautiful the blonde was. He thanked the gods that he was lucky enough to have survived long enough to meet him. He just hoped they survived long enough to spend the rest of their lives together.

Wufei and Heero walked side by side, shoulders pressed firmly together. Over the time Wufei had joined their group, the two had become extremely close. They understood the way the other worked and thought, and they found comfort in each other. They were both capable warriors, and neither thought the other weak, though they often sought to protect each other from danger for fear of one losing the other. They had much in common, but at the same time they were exceedingly different.

Wufei was a great believer in justice and honor, and while Heero supported both, he was not as bent on them as the Chinese youth. Still, both were content in knowing they both had one other thing in common, besides the fact they were both warriors, Princes, and on a journey to save the world.

They were both extremely attracted to Duo.

Having discussed their feelings for each other once before (on a sleepless night three weeks before having come upon the City of the Dead and the Shi no Senshi), the two had decided upon a slight relationship. Unlike Trowa and Quatre, they didn't believe in throwing themselves into things like love headfirst. They were taking it slow, and had both agreed that if things didn't work out, they would remain friends. However, their relationship had grown in the time they had known each other, even more so since they fought against a common enemy together, guarding the other's back when needed.

Now that they had met possibly one of the most beautiful creatures either had ever seen (besides each other, that is), they were re-thinking their relationship. They still dearly cared for and, possibly, loved each other and yet they were attracted to the braided boy who was a lot older than he seemed. They hadn't had much of a chance to discuss things, but both had managed to communicate with the other one what they wanted.

They wanted each other.

They wanted Duo.

The solution?

Share.

Neither of them had discussed it with the braided boy, but Duo had noticed that the both of them were casting him lustful and longing glances at him, as well as at each other. He didn't know exactly what it was they were thinking, but there was a kindling of hope in his chest.

He had seen Trowa and Quatre together, as in lovers, before. He could tell love when he saw it, and the two had it bad. He also saw it in Wufei and Heero's eyes, but when they looked at _him_…

Well, Duo didn't really know what to think. He could tell that Heero and Wufei loved each other, but they kept looking at him in a lustful way and he wondered why. The braided boy found both of them extremely attractive, and while he found it incredibly strange that all five of them were homosexual (coincidence? I think not…), he realized that he wanted to be a part of their relationship. He wanted what they had, and it wasn't just because he had never experienced love before.

He wanted _them_.

He wanted their personalities always around them, wanted their physical forms. Everything about Wufei and Heero, Duo liked. Although he felt that Wufei could tone down on the justice and honor rants a little bit, he liked the dark boy a great deal.

Shaking his head against the rambling thoughts in his head, Duo's sharp eyes caught sight of another door in the wall, hidden in the darkness. He smiled as the dogs moved toward it, out of the light and into the dark. Waving the others over, he stood in front of the small door, the light of the torch illuminating the symbol engraved in the thick wood.

"This is the gate to the seventh level," he whispered to the others once they had gathered around them. "There are a few more after it, and we've passed through a bunch already. So we should be as safe as we can be from Shindoshi if we go through here." He paused, almost nervously. "I gotta tell you guys, though. What you're gonna see in here, isn't gonna be pretty. Everything, and I mean everything that lives, or rather dwells, in the city is down here. From animals to…what used to be humans, among other things that never were human nor animal." He gave the others a hard look as the dogs wilted slightly, whining. "Some of those things will be after your blood. They'll be after mine, too. We have to be really careful in here, and not get caught off guard, or we may as well have waltzed through the city to say hi to Shindoshi face to face. You got me?"

The others nodded, fear in their eyes, yet an explicit trust given to the braided boy to keep them safe. Duo nodded sharply. "Hang on to your horses, because they're good targets too." Each of the mounts all moved slightly closer to their masters, nickering fearfully. Shinigami snorted disdainfully, flinging her head high in defiance, as though to tell them that _she_ had been here before and feared nothing. Duo snorted. "You guys all right?"

Heero and Wufei nodded.

"As right as we'll ever be," Quatre meekly replied, clutching Trowa's arm with one hand, and Sandrock's reins in the other. The taller boy nodded curtly.

__

'Let's do this,' he said gravely.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Duo muttered as he placed his hand on the door and pushed.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sight that greeted them several hours, four more doors, three sets of winding stairs and several bat-scares later was, to four of the five boys, surreal.

Like some sort of demented slum city, the Labyrinth was nothing like what any of the boys had ever seen in their entire lives. Fifty-foot high ceilings made of crumbling stone and woodwork, spider webs weaved into every possible crevice and hole, broken and decayed flooring that was covered in slimy mould that crawled up the walls like some sort of disgusting plant creature, a scent of decay and smoldering flesh, air so hot and heavy that it nearly knocked all of them on their asses when they walked in, and the continuous rustling of rotted clothes and flesh rubbing against flesh all served to create a surreal atmosphere in which the boys had unwillingly entered.

All of that, and not including the beasts and creatures that shuffled about in the twisting and winding corridors and rooms that could be seen, and even the ones that remained hidden. Malformed, extra-limbed humans shuffled by, casting the boys longing glances before moving along, sunken eyes displaying a misery few have seen before. Animals with limb-less bodies, animals that didn't have fur that should have, humans with fur, humans so malformed that they didn't look human, and creatures that were so far beyond anything they had ever seen cast hateful, longing, baleful or sorrowful looks at the boys and their steeds as they passed through the throng of shifting, stinking, rotten-clothed bodies.

Quatre grimaced, but didn't say anything. The creatures were definitely sentient, and he didn't want to bring the whole place down on them by making a comment about the creature's appearances. So he clung to Trowa while clutching Sandrock's reins in a death-grip. He felt Trowa tense beside him, and knew the taller boy felt the same way.

Wufei wanted to puke. The stench of the Labyrinths was almost overwhelming, not to mention the god-awful HEAT. The air was stuffy and thick with decay, and the nasty rubbing of flesh against flesh as the creatures milled about was beyond unnerving. Shuddering, Wufei edged closer to Heero, whose eyes flickered nervously from side to side, as though expecting an attack.

They moved through the Labyrinths at a fast pace, Duo eyeing the malformed creatures with sorrow and pity. Every so often one of them would approach, moaning at the braided boy in pain and misery. Shinigami would step into its path, snarling, and the creature would back off, whining piteously. Duo would sigh, closing his eyes against the sight of his people turned to such wretched creatures, moving forward and not looking back.

And still, none of them saw the crow that flew above, heavy black wings flapping in the stillness of the air.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The five boys managed to get through the Labyrinth without incident, except for a few of the creatures trying to take a bite out of Shenlong's tail and legs, to which the mare had promptly kicked them. Nothing had bothered them after that.

They came to another set of gates, these ones leading outside. All five of the boys, including their mounts, were exhausted. Going down a flight of stairs was easier than going up, especially when the stairs seemed to never end and went maybe a thousand feet up. Standing before the gates, Duo put the torch he still held into another clip on the wall. He grinned wearily at the others.

"Well, we made it!" he announced, trying to sound cheerful. Everyone else just groaned. Duo chuckled as he placed his hand on the gates, which swung open with loud creaking and a cloud of dust.

Coughing from the dust, the five boys and their mounts left the darkness and entered the night outside, shielding their eyes from the dust and dirt that billowed out. As they left the great corridor, Shinigami abruptly snorted and stamped her feet, neighing shrilly at the sky. Duo looked up, and his eyes widened.

A great horde of…creatures, not unlike the ones that had accompanied Dorothy Catalonia before, stood before them, growling. Their red eyes flashed in the darkness, and their bodies shifted about as they paced, watching the five boys as they hissed and snarled and growled.

Duo, Heero, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa all stared, disbelieving, as a human shape moved forward through the throng of beasts, and a low, sultry chuckle came to heir ears. "I told you I'd be back," Dorothy snidely told them.

Heero sneered. "What a pleasure," he said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

"It's good to see you," Wufei said. "NOT!" He added.

"I've never been happier," Duo growled. Quatre and Trowa remained silent, though both were glaring daggers at the blonde. Dorothy laughed.

"Did you really think I would let you get away?" she asked, sneering at them. "Of course not! I have been bidden to destroy all of you, and I will perform the wishes of my master!"

"Let me guess, he fucks good and that's why you're fighting us?" Duo snarled, raising his scythe as Heero and Wufei drew their swords, tensing for battle despite their exhaustion. Duo frowned to himself. _We're too tired to fight, and she knows it. We can't fight like this, we'll lose!_

Dorothy snarled at him. "NO, you fool! He is my master and I do his bidding!" She sneered cruelly. "You're people should know what it's like…"

Duo's eyes flared. "You goddamn cunt—"

Dorothy drew her sword, and pointed it at the braided boy. "Come then, girly-man," she hissed, eyes flashing. "Bring it on."

Duo raised his scythe, forgetting his fatigue the instant she had hit him where it hurt most—his curse, and his people. NOBODY fucks with his people.

Nobody.

The two leapt for each other, eyes blazing and mouth open, feral screams ripping from their throats as their weapons clashed, sending bright sparks of green and red light shattering the air. Muscles bunching and tensing as they fought to gain the upper hand, thrusting their weapons together in fury, the two combatants neither noticed the dark shapes coming up from the corridor behind them, or the crow that led them.

The demons shrieked as began to charge for the remaining four boy, but Shinigami suddenly blocked their way. Screaming monstrously, the demonicorn began to glow the same green as Duo's eyes, and she bared very long, very sharp fangs. Wings spread out and tail lashing the demonic mare lowered her head, pointing her dagger-like horn at the demons, hissing like a snake. Wing, Heavyarms, Sandrock and Shenlong joined her, standing in a row like a blockade to protect their masters and friends with Shinigami leading them.

As the steeds faced off against the demons and Duo and Dorothy battled, Quatre had a suddenly overwhelming feeling in his chest. Gasping, he clutched his shirt and dropped to his knees. The rage and fury he could feel coming from…somewhere, was terrifying. It swelled and beat with a thousand hearts, saw with a thousand eyes, touching with thrice as many hands and wailed from a thousand voices. Anger and fury from thousands upon thousands of creatures swelled and deflated, like the ocean tides, as whatever was coming drew closer with every step.

The blonde was only vaguely aware of Trowa and Heero yelling at him, as he turned his head, the rest of his body following, to look behind them. His eyes grew ever larger and his heart nearly stopped at the sight of…

"Great Gideon!" he whispered, shocked. The other three boys turned, and their jaws dropped open in surprise and shock.

Before their very eyes, filling the gates and the corridor to the brim, were the people of the City of the Dead. The mutants, animals, half-human creatures that were hiding in the Labyrinths from Shindoshi, that the five boys had passed during their trek through the tunnels stood before them, snarling and growling, or moaning in anger. Everything about them was angry, and their auras blazed with pure rage, directed at Dorothy and her demon minions.

The demons halted in their attack as Shinigami and the others moved out of the way, and the two hordes stared at each other, growling and hissing angrily.

Trowa dragged Quatre out of the way, with Heero and Wufei right behind them, swords drawn against both sides. The blonde tugged on Heero's shirt, and the young Prince looked at him, frowning.

"Hai?"

"Heero, they won't hurt us," Quatre whispered, pointing to the horde in the gateway. "I can feel it. Their anger isn't directed at us. Put down your sword."

Heero frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, Heero."

The prince sighed, but sheathed his sword. Wufei stared at him. "Heero! What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Wufei, put down your sword," Heero ordered softly, watching as the malformed creatures of the Labyrinth moved toward them, eyes boring holes into the demons behind the boys.

"Are you crazy! We'll be killed!" Wufei snarled, backing away from the creatures. Heero grabbed his wrist as he was about to start swinging his sword, and Wufei looked at him surprised and afraid.

"I trust Quatre. Put down your sword."

Wufei looked from the dark-haired boy to the blonde, who pleaded with his eyes. Heero was asking him to trust Quatre by putting away his sword. If he didn't, the blonde would not trust him, which meant disaster. Besides, Heero was asking something great of Wufei, and the black-haired boy didn't want to let his lover down.

He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Very well, Heero." He sheathed his sword as well, casting a look at Quatre. "But I hope you're right." The blonde smiled.

"I know I'm right," he whispered, watching as the creatures moved toward them, parting into two waves as they shuffled past, growling. Wufei swallowed, pressing his back against Heero, who wrapped an arm around him.

"By the gods," Wufei whispered as the thousands of creatures began to slow pass them, intent on the demon horde of Dorothy Catalonia.

Speaking of which…

* * * * * * * * * *

"You stupid bitch!!"

"How dare you!"

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the two teens clashed, their weapons sending bolts of lightning rocketing off the earth when they slapped each other, creating a sickening _crack!_ sound when they impacted.

Duo raised his scythe above his head, and with a battle cry, lunged for Dorothy. She ducked out of the way, cackling madly as she swung her sword, the braided boy barely blocking the attack in time to save his head. Duo snarled. He was tiring, getting weaker by the moment. He wasn't in any shape to battle, not after the non-stop walk through the Labyrinth with little food and no water. Gasping for breath, Duo took a fighting stance again, growling.

"Don't you ever talk about my people like that again!" he snapped. "You don't know anything about nothing!"

Dorothy hissed. "Stupid boy, do you really believe you can defeat me? You are exhausted! I may as well have won this battle already!" Duo growled.

"In your dreams, bitch!" He lunged for her again, and was flung away against the wall. He cried out in pain, grabbing his shoulder and hissing through clenched teeth. Dorothy laughed as she advanced, sword held high.

"Duo!" a voice yelled. The braided boy managed to turn and see who had yelled his name. It was Quatre. "Duo, you have to run!"

"Look out!" Wufei screamed.

Duo looked, and his eyes widened as Dorothy's sword came swinging toward him, intent on chopping off his head. Before he had time to move, or even blink, a black shape came between them, screeching in fury.

GET OUT OF HERE MAXWELL.

Duo blinked. What the—?

FLEE. NOW!

A huge black crow had come between them and was now screaming and pecking at Dorothy's head, wings beating at her mercilessly as she yowled in rage and surprise.

TAKE YOUR FRIENDS AND RUN.

"Great Eurynome," Duo whispered. That voice sounded like…

Duo leaped to his feet, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. "Shinigami!" he yelled, letting out a shrill whistle. The demonicorn screamed, charging through the fighting demons to get to him. Leaping up on the steed's back, Duo laid his scythe across his lap and waved to the other four boys. "We're getting the hell outta here!" he screamed. "COME ON!!"

Heero, Trowa, Wufei and Quatre hesitated only an instant before leaping on the backs of their respective steeds. Wing screamed and spread his wings, leaping into the air and soaring over the battling beasts towards Duo and Shinigami, who was prancing about on her toes, growling. Heavyarms neighed loudly and followed Wing into the air, hoofs sparking against invisible ground. Shenlong and Sandrock both darted and leaped gracefully through and over the combatants like living shadows, weaving in and out of the throng without once touching any of the beasts.

They joined up with Duo as lightning flashed between the beasts, a red mist enveloping the hordes as they clashed. A cacophony of horrific sounds came from their red-lined throats as blood spurted and flesh flew in great clumps all over the dusty ground, dead grass being trampled further beneath misshapen feet.

Shinigami reared back, spreading her wings as she screamed loudly. Duo's voice rose over the bleating, moaning and howling of the fighting hordes, filled with excitement and fear. "We gotta get out of here! Come on!"

Dorothy shrieked in rage as the crow continued to claw at her head. She waved her arms wildly, trying to fight it off as the five boys rode past her at top speed, dust and sparks flying from the hoofs of their steeds, nostrils flaring and manes and tails flying back. They galloped by, barely glancing her way as they headed for the trees surrounding the City of the Dead, leaving behind the demons and misshapen creatures as well as Dorothy. 

Not once did any of them glance back. Had they, they would have seen the crow rip off half of Dorothy's face. Yet they did hear her scream of pain and rage, and the crow's triumphant call as they sped through the night, towards Wufei's homeland and the next weapon.

To be continued…

Yes I know, this chapter kinda sucked. But I had to do it, to get them out of the city and through the Labyrinth, not to mention why Dorothy really, really wants them dead later. Also, the significance of the crow, who will show up again later. Confusing, but it will all come around in the end. ^_^ Hope you guys liked it! Drop me a line or review! I thrive on that stuff! Take care all!


	9. Chapter Eight-A Prince, Death, and the D...

Chapter Eight—A Prince, Death, and the Dragon

By Azreal (Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

OR

horde_king@yahoo.ca

Disclaimer: GW isn't mine, blah, blah, blah…

Okay, this chapter is kinda weird too. I am now announcing the relationship between Heero, Duo and Wufei! See what happens! (I really wasn't expecting for it to end up the way it did, but hey! I like this kind of thing)

Warnings: AU, yaoi, weird shit, swearing, yadda, yadda, yadda…

__

Chapter Eight—A Prince, Death and the Dragon

They had escaped Dorothy Catalonia and were now heading East, towards China. It was a long journey, one in which they had to cross the ocean, although with Wing, Heavyarms and Shinigami using their own magic to lift Shenlong and Sandrock, they were able to safely reach the Asian coast with nothing lost except some pride and dignity.

Wufei had nearly had a heart attack when Shinigami almost dropped Shenlong, which would have led to a very slow death of drowning in the great rolling waters. To say the least, Wufei got wet anyway, and Shenlong wasn't too happy about a rider with soaked pants sitting on her dappled back.

When they landed on the beach, the sky as black as it had been since Heero's journey started, Wufei was in an extremely sour mood, and Shenlong was no happier. Growling to himself, Wufei slipped off the mare's back, who immediately shook herself and bolted into the water up to her neck, where she stood for ten to twenty minutes, trying to wash off the bitter scent of her master's 'accident.' Wufei sneered at the mare.

"Well, _excuse_ me!" he yelled at the horse, who snorted at him. "It isn't my fault that dratted creature almost dropped us into the ocean!" Shinigami growled at him, and Wufei growled right back at her. "Onna!"

The demonicorn blinked and flicked her ears. Duo laughed as Wufei cursed under his breath about the injustice of it all. Heero rolled his eyes.

"It would probably be wise to find where the weapon is," Heero said.

"But how do we know where it is?" Quatre groused, agitated from lack of sleep. "It's not like there's a map that says 'Go HERE to find weapon needed to defeat Shindoshi'." The blonde was also in a foul mood, though by far it was less than Wufei's. Still, it was obvious that he was unhappy.

__

'It would be wiser to sleep first, Heero,' Trowa said, sticking up for the blonde. _'If we are not in good health, then we will not be able to complete our mission. Then all will be for naught.'_

Heero nodded, complying. "Then tonight we shall rest. Tomorrow we will resume our journey and find the next weapon."

"But where will it be?" Duo asked, frowning. "How can we find it if we don't even know where it is?"

Wufei made a face. "Most likely it will be in my father's possession," he grumbled. "No place on this continent has he failed to extensively search for ancient and valuable artifacts and such. The most likely place it will be is in his vault."

__

'Of course,' Trowa replied, raising an eyebrow. _'I said as much when we were to the North. We had to come here anyway.'_

"Humph."

"Then it's to Wufei's kingdom we go, at sunrise," Heero said, nodding. The others nodded as they began to set up for bed.

Wufei glowered. "I need to wash my pants," he muttered, stalking off. "I will take the first watch." Shenlong whinnied at him from the water, and Wufei glared at her. "Silence, onna!"

Duo laughed. "Man, he really hates women, doesn't he?"

Heero shrugged. "He was supposed to marry a woman once, but she was evil and corrupted his father's court," he said. "His father is out to get him, and he is just nervous about returning to his homeland. Most likely this Merian woman is still living there, so he fears what will happen to him when he returns."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Whoever she is, she can't hurt us," he said, sneering. "The Shi no Senshi won't stand for it." Shinigami growled and Duo grinned, patting her neck. "And neither will Shinigami!" Heero smirked as he laid out his bedroll, wrapping himself up in it.

"Go to sleep, baka," he mumbled. Duo chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness. Just after I make a fire. Wufei can tend to it while we're asleep."

Heero rolled his eyes as Duo walked off to collect some sticks for a fire. Quatre looked at Trowa and smiled.

"Let's go to sleep, koi," he whispered, laying his own bedroll on the ground. Trowa smirked as he did the same, the two making a larger sleeping area. Curling up next to the taller boy, Quatre fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Trowa wrapped his arm around the small blonde and soon he too fell asleep.

By the time Wufei returned from cleaning his pants, Duo had a fire set up and blazing good. The braided boy nodded and grinned at Wufei, who had his robe wrapped tightly around him since he was pant-less. Wufei made a face at the other boy, who just shrugged and leaned back against Shinigami, who was laying behind him. The demonicorn wrapped a wing around the braided boy, who snuggled into her side. The demonic mare purred, and Wufei raised an eyebrow.

"That is one strange horse," he commented. Duo snickered.

"She's not a horse, Wufei," he replied, as Shinigami snorted in agreement. "She's a demonicorn, something that the world hasn't seen in thousands of years. She's also the last of her kind, which makes her kinda special."

"What can she do, besides what we've seen?" the Chinese boy asked, interested. Duo shrugged.

"Shinni's got many talents."

"Like what?"

"She can kill something with little more than a thought," he said. "She can also bring back people from the dead." Duo's eyes darkened. "Though for anyone, necromancy is a very dangerous thing." Wufei nodded.

"When one dies, it is final and there can be no turning back."

Duo stared at him, eyes boring into the other boy's soul. "Tell me that when someone you care about dies, Wufei. Tell me that then."

Wufei bristled at first, but after a moment he realized what Duo was trying to say. He sighed, looking away from the braided boy to stare at the fire. "I am sorry, Duo. I didn't mean to offend you."

Duo suddenly grinned. "No problem, Fei. You didn't know, so it's okay. Forgiven."

There was silence for a long moment, then, "You've been alive for two hundred years?"

Duo made a face. "Two hundred and fifty, if you want to get technical. I don't care much for years anymore."

"How is that possible?"

Silence.

"Duo?"

"Shinigami brought me back."

Wufei snapped his eyes from the fire. "What?"

"Shinigami brought me back," Duo repeated, solemn. Wufei stared.

"Why??"

"Because she knew."

"Knew what?"

"About this."

"About what?"

"The battle with Shindoshi, and the prophecy. That's another thing she can do. See the future."

Wufei was silent.

"And…another reason."

"What reason?" Wufei asked, frowning.

"I don't know."

"You don't KNOW?" the Chinese boy asked incredulously. Duo shook his head.

"She wouldn't tell me," he said. Shinigami snorted. "And she doesn't plan on it, either." He added. Wufei rolled his eyes.

"Onnas are all like that," he snorted.

"That why you prefer men?" Duo chuckled. Wufei rolled his eyes.

"Baka," he chided, softly.

Duo grinned. "Yeah, but I'm your guys' baka." Wufei blushed. Duo raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" Wufei blushed even more.

"Nothing."

"What is it? Come on, Fei, tell me!"

"No."

"Yes."

"NO."

"YES."

"Why do you care?"

"I just wanna know!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

Shinigami snorted, rolling her eyes. The other mounts snorted as well, twittering in what seemed to be laughter.

"Come on, Fei! What is it?"

"……"

"Grrr…"

"Duo?"

"Yes?" The braided boy smiled wickedly.

"What are your preferences?" Wufei blurted out. Duo blinked innocently.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you prefer…males or females?"

Duo grinned. "Males, Fei, males."

Wufei was silent. Then, "Okay."

The braided boy blinked. "Is that all?"

"Yes."

Duo made a face. "Fine then." Inwardly, he thought, _I'll get it out of you sooner or later, Fei, don't worry about THAT._ Shinigami snorted and Duo chuckled to himself. "I'll take the next watch, Fei. Wake me up in three hours." Wufei nodded as Duo turned and leaned heavily against Shinigami, nestling himself deeply into her side and wing. The demonicorn nickered softly, then snorted at Wufei.

The Chinese boy made a face at her. "What?"

WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL HIM?

Wufei blinked. "Wha…?"

YOU LIKE HIM. YOU AND THE OTHER BOY.

"Who is that?!"

ME.

"Who the hell is 'me'?" Wufei demanded.

SHINIGAMI.

Wufei stared. "Oh, no…"

OH, YES.

"Why me?" the boy asked, looking at the sky.

No answer came from the black expanse above, but Shinigami did.

BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN DUO. PREPARE TO BE INTERROGATED, LITTLE ONE.

Wufei groaned. "Many talents indeed…" he grumbled.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, Heero woke everyone up, since he was the last one on watch. Wandering from person to person and shaking them gently but firmly, the rest of the small company awakened to a sky as dark as night. Smirking at the protests he got from the braided boy (which consisted of a lot of cussing and threats) Heero stamped out the fire that had been burning away, and then began to pack his things away. Soon, the others followed his example, with Duo grumbling the entire time about being woken up at a 'god-forsaken hour like this' to 'your ugly mug.' Heero only laughed at him and Shinigami snorted.

One thing that the young Prince noticed was that Wufei kept throwing the demonicorn odd looks, as well as watching both Heero and Duo. It made the prince wonder, what had happened while they slept? Had it been something bad, Wufei surely would have awakened them, though he hadn't. But something had disturbed the youth, though Heero wasn't sure what it was.

He also noticed Duo giving Shinigami odd looks. He would frown at the mare and whispered to her a bit, and the demonicorn seemed to reply; though that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Before they were about to leave, Wufei approached Heero, looking somewhat nervous. He kept wringing his hands, and when he pulled the prince off to the side for a private talk, he would shoot Shinigami worried looks. Immediately, Heero knew something was up.

"What's wrong, Wufei?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing is really…wrong," the other boy replied, still wringing his hands. "Not _wrong_, per say, but…odd."

Heero raised an eyebrow, indicating that he should continue.

Wufei blushed somewhat. "Well, last night I was thinking about our relationship, and how we were planning on bringing Duo into it and…" He trailed off.

"You don't want it?" Heero asked, disappointed. "If you don't that's okay—"

"NO!" Wufei yelled, and the others turned to stare. Waving them off, the other boy whispered hurriedly. "I want that sort of relationship, I really do. We just need to factor in one more thing that might get in the way."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "And that would be…?"

Wufei took a deep breath. "An extremely overprotective demonicorn." He blurted out.

Heero stared at him. "What?"

The other boy sighed, nodding his head at Shinigami, who was watching them carefully, almost calculatingly. Heero also stared at the mare, unnerved by the look she gave them. "That…creature has threatened that if we in any way hurt Duo, she will eat us alive." Heero gave Wufei a strange look.

"She…threatened?"

Wufei nodded. "Yes. She threatened me, last night, and told me to tell you the same thing." At Heero's look, Wufei continued. "That horse can talk, Heero, even if it's not vocally. Sort of like Trowa's way of speaking, only different." The prince stared, incredulous.

"You're joking, right?" Wufei shook his head. "But…how does she know that we…?"

The Chinese boy shook his head. "I would think the way we stare at him makes it obvious, Heero," he answered. Then he winced. "He knows, too. That mare told me so." He made a face and snorted. "I believe he was attempting to get some answers out of me last night, but I told him nothing."

"What has this to do with her?" Heero asked, motioning to Shinigami, who still watched them with a dark eye. Wufei sighed.

"She wants us to 'hook up,' as she put it," was the reply. "But she also warned us of the consequences should we hurt him."

Heero blinked. "And what does Duo think of this?"

"I doubt she's told him yet, but she told me that he…ah…enjoys our company."

"Meaning…?"

"He is as attracted to us as we are to him."

Heero blinked again, and a slow smile spread across his face. "That…that's wonderful!" Wufei smiled grimly.

"Indeed, but remember this Heero, if we do ask him," the other boy waved a finger at the overjoyed prince. "We will always have very dangerous eyes watching our every move. If we screw up somehow, we are as good as dead."

Heero smirked. "Shinigami told you to tell me all this?" Wufei nodded, also beginning to smirk as the other boy shook his head. "How…interesting."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Interesting?" He chuckled. "If I were Duo, I'd probably say 'What a sack of weirdness is this!!!_'_"

Heero laughed.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Later that day, after traveling for about twelve hours with maybe three stops between, and after Trowa and Quatre were asleep, Wufei and Heero approached Duo. The braided boy was once again setting a fire, while Shinigami watched. She nickered softly as the two boys came up behind Duo.

None of them knew that Quatre and Trowa were listening in, and when they heard the joyful cry of "YES!!!" followed by "Shhh!!! You'll wake the others up!" the two grinned at each other, winked, and then actually went to sleep.

To be continued…

Boring, boring, boring…but what can I say? They need to pass the time and I want them to be 'together' by the time they get to Wufei's father's palace. One more thing to piss off Big Daddy, he-he. Drop me a line or review! I love being reviewed!!! Tell me how I'm doing, what you want to see more of! Fighting will come soon, don't worry though. And you're gonna meet Dorothy's 'playmate' who wants revenge for wrecking the bitch's face. *blinks* Oh…did I say that? He-he, sorry! Take care!


	10. Chapter Nine-The Dragon Returns

Chapter Nine—The Dragon Returns

By Azreal (Blight)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

OR

horde_king@yahoo.ca

Disclaimer: You know the drill already. Bugger off! I don't want to say it!! NO! NOOOOO!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!GW-NO! IS-NO! NOT MINE!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

*blinks* Uh…never mind, people. Ignore that.

Anyway, FINALLY Wufei gets back to his homeland! Read on, read on! I hope you're all enjoying this, cuz I am!!

Warnings: YAOI, AU, swearing, blah, blah…

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Chapter Nine—The Dragon Returns

Wufei sneered disdainfully at the city that lay before them, made of gold and silver. It had winding streets packed with vendors and people, along with animals all bustling about, though it was much quieter than he last remembered. The sky was still dark, and the glory of the city was shattered by the thick darkness, creating only an atmosphere of gloom.

Sitting atop Shenlong's dappled back, Wufei easily remembered all the little turns and shortcuts he had learned when he lived there, and even after all those years, he still knew exactly where everything was. He sighed. As much as he despised his father, he still missed his homeland, and now here he was, back again. _Things just keep getting more complicated,_ he thought, frowning.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Wufei reflected in old memories he had buried, scanning the palace in his mind and figuring out the best possible way to reach his father's treasure room without being caught. If they were apprehended, then the only outcome he could see would be death for all of them. While he was not a thief at heart, Wufei knew that the only way to get anything out of his proud and arrogant father would be to steal it from under his nose.

Not to mention the fact that Meiran was probably still in the palace as well. That caused Wufei to shudder inwardly. The woman was as evil as they came, even more so than Dorothy Catalonia, if that could be believed. 

That posed a problem for the Chinese boy. Meiran would most certainly try to kill him on sight, as would his father. So how were they going to get into his father's treasury?

EASY. IF THEY DON'T LET YOU IN OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL, KILL THEM ALL.

Wufei made a face. _Shinigami, I am not a dishonorable man._

NOR AM I A DISHONORABLE DEMONICORN. BUT YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU MUST TO COMPLETE THIS MISSION.

__

True, onna, very true. Perhaps you are correct.

BUST IN AND TAKE THEM ALL DOWN. SIMPLE. AND DON'T CALL ME WOMAN!

Wufei chuckled to himself as he turned away from the sight of his city, sliding off of Shenlong's back and walking back to where the others waited, pulling the mare with him.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Duo made a face at the demonicorn. "You told him that?!" he demanded. Shinigami nickered softly, giving the braided boy a strange look. Duo frowned. "Jeeze, woman, you like busting in on people a little too much." The demonicorn only whinnied loudly, a sound echoed by the other steeds. Trowa rolled his eyes.

__

'It does not matter how we get the weapon, only that we get it,' he said mentally. Heero nodded in agreement and looked at Wufei.

"If you are so sure that our reception will be unpleasant, then perhaps we should 'bust in'," he said, smirking slightly. Wufei sighed.

"I know that some of the people in there are still loyal to me," he said. "I was not friendless when I left. But my father, and Meiran…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "What you suggest seems like the only option."

"But you still don't like it," Duo said, looking at Wufei strangely. He nodded.

"No, I don't."

"Wufei, what we're doing will save the world. Breaking and entering isn't as high on the 'dishonorable thing to do' list, compared to sitting on our butts and letting everyone and everything go straight to the underworld."

Wufei smirked. "You sure know how to make sense of something that seems senseless, Maxwell."

Duo grinned. "I know."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Let's go, then."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Sneaking into Wufei's former home was easier done than said. Mostly because Wufei was an excellent guide who knew his territory, but also because the few guards they had passed were loyal to the Chinese boy. They bowed, groveled, worshiped and basically kissed his ass when they saw him, exclaiming, "The Prince! The Prince has returned! Your Highness, how may we serve you?"

Wufei was obviously uncomfortable, ordering them to speak to no one about his return. They bobbed their heads wildly, though one said that all those loyal to him should know because they would be overjoyed to hear of his return. Wufei, attempting to ignore the snickering going on behind him from both mount and friends, was adamant.

"No one knows I am here," he said, and they groveled again.

As they came upon the gates that led to the treasury without any mishaps, Duo snorted. "That was too easy," he growled, frowning.

"Not quite," a female voice sneered from behind them. Shinigami growled and turned her head, spreading her wings wide to guard the boys from sight.

Before them stood a young, and rather pretty girl with raven black hair and slanted eyes, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. She was glaring at the boys and their steeds with hate in her eyes, but when her gaze fell on Wufei, the look on her face changed to one of utter hatred beyond anything they had seen before.

"Chang," she hissed, drawing a sword from…somewhere. None of them knew where she yanked it from, but out it came, held in her delicate but strong hand. Quatre blinked.

"Whoa…"

Wufei sneered back at her. "Meiran," he hissed back, drawing his own sword. Their eyes crackled with hate and their lips were curled up in sneers. The air seemed to crackle with tension, and, if it were possible, lightning would have been shooting out of their eyes at each other, charring the stone walls around them black. There was a long moment of silence, before Duo spoke.

"What the hell?"

Meiran glared at the braided boy. "You were not told to speak, now shut up!"

Duo gawked, then glared. "Make me, bitch!"

"What are you doing here, Meiran?" Wufei interrupted, putting himself between Duo and the enraged woman. Meiran snarled.

"I live here, Chang. Unlike you." Smirking, she said, "Guarding your little play-toy?" Wufei snarled but Duo laughed.

"Yep!"

The Chinese girl snarled again. "Shut up, you imbecile!"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Heero growled, joining Wufei, his sword also drawn. 

"What do you want, Meiran?" Wufei growled. Meiran sneered contemptuously at them.

"I felt you coming from a mile away, Chang," she said. "And I know what you're after." Wufei's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"And what is that, exactly?"

__

'We have no time for this, everyone,' Trowa said to all of them in their minds. _'Time is running out.' _Quatre swallowed.

"But what do we do?" he whispered to the taller boy, leaning close to his ear. "She's probably summoned guards already, if she knew we were here."

"On the contrary, blondie," the girl said, looking at Quatre. "I need no guards to eliminate all of you pathetic mortals."

Duo raised an eyebrow, smirking as he stepped forward, pulling out his scythe. He grinned wickedly as his eyes flashed. "Mortals?" he purred, leaning the scythe on his shoulder as he took a nonchalant stance, eyeing the girl distastefully. "I'm no mortal." At the incredulous stares he got from the others, Duo shrugged. "Hey, I told you how long I was alive, didn't I? That should have been a clue."

"I have no time for this shit!" Meiran said suddenly, raising her sword and taking a fighting stance, eyes blazing with fury. "My master has ordered me to stop you, and I will do his bidding."

"Who the hell is this master guy we keep hearing about?" Heero asked, annoyed.

Ignoring the young prince, Meiran ran forward, screaming a battle cry. Stepping around Wufei and into the girl's path, Duo's scythe came up and blocked her first swing, sending a shower of sparks flying everywhere. Turning only slightly as the two of them wrestled with their weapons, each trying to gain the advantage, Duo yelled, "Wufei! Go and get your weapon! I'll hold her off as long as I can!"

At the Chinese boy's hesitation, Duo threw Meiran backward, pointing a long, slim finger at the other boy, eyes glowing a bright green. "GO! NOW!"

Realizing that the braided boy wasn't about to take no for an answer, Wufei nodded curtly, turned, and ran towards the gate to the treasury. Shoving on them with all his might, he realized that h couldn't open them by himself. He wasn't strong enough.

Without hesitation, Heero, Quatre and Trowa joined him, all of them pushing against the heavy gates with all of their strength. They were joined by Shinigami and the other steeds, the mounts lending their weight to the shoving. As the gates began to give, the sounds of fighting and yells of fury could be heard from behind them.

"BITCH!"

The weapons clashed, and more sparks flew.

"BASTARD!!"

Duo's scythe began to glow an eerie green as Meiran's eyes blazed fiery red in her fury.

"KISS MY ASS!!"

"DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S BEEN!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Upon entering the treasury, the four boys expected to have to search wildly for the weapon they were after. As things happen, though, they didn't. Resting on a pedestal at the very back of the room was a large triton. The three spikes on the end of the pole were made of the purest silver, and the staff was made of the same. It seemed to glow of its own light, and Wufei found himself awed by the sight of it.

Shaking his head, the Chinese boy ran toward the weapon, silently thanking his gods that his father was so careless with it. He climbed the mound of gold and jewels, nearly falling several times in his haste. From behind him he could hear the cries and shouts of Duo and Meiran as they battled. He knew from experience that the girl was a great fighter, and while Duo was skilled in battle (having been alive for as long as he had), he couldn't last long against the warrior woman.

Grabbing the triton in his fist, Wufei began to slide down the pile of gold. The weapons sparked and glowed brightly in his hand, causing the treasure in the room to light up and reflect the glow coming from it in a blinding way. Squinting his eyes against the bright light, Wufei began to run back towards the gates. Shenlong galloped up beside him and he hopped up onto her back, never noticing that the glow of the weapon was getting brighter by the moment…

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Duo grunted as he was thrown back, hitting the ground with a painful thump. He yelled as Meiran came at him again, bringing his scythe up to block her swing. The weapon glowed and hummed as though it were alive, and heat emanated from it, seeping into the braided boy's hand as he rolled away from the girl's next attack.

He barely registered the cries and shouts of the others as a bright light burst forth from the treasury, blinding both combatants. Meiran cried out, bringing up her arm to shield her eyes as Duo rolled over, burying his face into his cloak.

There was a great stomping, and the ground shuddered as a horrific cry split the air, followed by a burst of heat. Curling up into a ball, Duo tucked his face into his arms as Meiran screamed in terror, rage and pain. A blast of hot air washed over the braided boy, and as he rolled over once more to see where the hell it had come from, his jaw dropped open and his eyes went as wide as saucers.

An enormous, silvery-white dragon loomed above him, its slim muzzle pulled back in a feral snarl, exposing jagged and sharp fangs. Its tongue flicked out to taste the air, and its eyes blazed a deep red. Muscles moved smoothly beneath thick, shimmering scales, and two large, transparent wings flared out from the creature's back. Spikes on its head matched the ones going down its back, all the way to the long, sinewy tail, which twitched and flicked as it came forward.

What surprised him most, though, was not the creature itself. He had seen many dragons in his time, but he had never seen a human _riding_ one.

Staring, jaw hanging open in shock, he watched as Wufei raised his triton above his head, lightning flashing from it as he roared. "ONNA! YOU WILL PAY FOR CORRUPTING MY LAND!!"

Roaring, the dragon's mouth shot forth a burst of flame at Meiran, who screeched and ducked out the way, barely in time. Snarling, the girl waved her sword at Wufei and his dragon as she began to disappear in a cloud of black mist. She new she was beaten. For the moment.

"I'll get you one day, Chang!" she screeched. "I'll be back for you!"

"And your little dog Toto, too!" Quatre said in a high pitched, cackling voice. Trowa laughed. Meiran vanished, leaving behind only a wisp of black smoke in her wake. Heero helped Duo to his feet as Wufei remained on top of the dragon, glaring angrily at where the girl had once been.

"Damn bitch," he finally said, snorting. The dragon roared in agreement.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"WOW, Wufei! That was like…awesome!" Duo crowed as the Chinese boy slid off the dragon's back and onto the ground. Duo looked around, confused. "But what happened to Shenlong?"

Wufei smirked. "That IS Shenlong," he said, pointing to the dragon, who snorted at them. It then proceeded to look itself over, snorting and growling to its (no, HER) self. Duo raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes. I saw her change myself," Quatre said proudly, as though it was Sandrock who had undergone such a wicked transformation. Trowa nodded too, and so did Heero. Duo grinned.

"Bitchin'," was his only comment as he gazed wonderingly at the now-transformed mare that had carried Wufei faithfully through the jungles.

__

'The question is, how do we hide her now?' Trowa said thoughtfully. Shenlong snorted at him as a sparkly mist surrounded her, transforming her into a miniature version of herself. To the boy's surprise, she flew down and wrapped herself around Wufei's neck, purring contentedly. Shinigami let out a horse's equivalent of a laugh. Quatre frowned.

"But how can you ride her like that?" he asked.

"He doesn't have to," Duo declared, wrapping an arm around the other boy and grinning. "He can ride Shinigami with me!"

Giving the demonicorn a horrified look, Wufei winced as the mare growled at him. "Gods help me," he moaned.

To be continued…

So, how was it? Sorry it took so long, just working on a few other fics and stuff. Now, we go on to Quatre's weapon! Yahoo!!


	11. Chapter Ten-An Angel's Arrow

Chapter Ten—An Angel's Arrow

By Azreal (AKA The Sadistic Cow)

pippin_elf@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Grrr…you'd think by now they'd realize I mean no harm, right? Right? I guess not. GW is not mine, blah, blah…only the plot of this fic is.

Sorry, sorry, sorry for the long wait!!!!! I've just been swamped with other stuff, like school and real life, as well as a ton of other stories for different universes. I really shouldn't be writing this right now, either. I graduate high school tomorrow (the 13th!) and I have until Monday to get 17 lessons done!!!! GAH!!!!! I have a new pen name too. I'm also "The Sadistic Cow", so if you wanna find some more of my stuff it's there. Not much there but oh well. The next part to this fic may not come for another little while; at least not until after I'm done exams and come back from my cottage up North. I'll try to get as much done as soon as possible, but I just don't know right now what I'm gonna do. Sorry again for the long wait!

BTW, I was reading this fic over just to get back in the feel of it, and I noticed how incredibly cheesy it was. Umm…for anyone who was wondering, it's supposed to be cheesy! Hehe.

P.S. I'm almost done Nightmares are Dreamscapes; only now it has a different title and is under my other pen name. I'm getting close to finishing it, anyway. That one should come sooner; this one doesn't look like it's got an ending in sight. *sweatdrops* Ack…

P.P.S. (or whatever) This chapter kinda sucks, cuz I was sorta rushing it. You people were getting all pissy with me so I thought I had to hurry the hell up. Sorry but this chapter is kinda crappy.

Warnings: AU, swearing, weird shit, YAOI, OOC, umm…I think that's it…

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Chapter Ten—An Angel's Arrow

It was three weeks, six days and twelve hours into their journey from Wufei's kingdom, and they had just reached the edge of the Arabian desert, Quatre's homeland. The Chinese boy was riding behind Duo on Shinigami's back, leaning against the other boy as the mare's muscles twitched beneath him. He kept getting the feeling that if he sat wrong he would be thrown off, or if he moved the wrong way the same would happen. Even after all that time riding her the demonicorn still gave Wufei the creeps. Shenlong was wrapped snugly around his neck, sleeping soundly, tiny little snores escaping her nostrils with an occasional puff of smoke. Craning his neck slightly, Wufei looked over Duo's shoulder at the expanse of sand before them.

Duo grunted. "Now let's see what we have here," he mumbled, smirking. "Sand, sand, and…well, what do you know? More sand!"

Quatre snorted. "Pardon me if my land has very little to please the eye," he said, though he too was smiling. "It's great if you have grown up here. All those trees were giving me the creeps."

Duo rolled his eyes. "All vegetation, and blank spaces like this freak me out," he said. "I grew up and lived in a city my entire life. I only went into the forest once, and then…" He trailed off, making a face. "Well, you know what happened." Quatre nodded.

"I understand that," he said. "But if my weapon is here, somewhere, then we must search for it."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Duo grinned. "There's not much here." Quatre rolled his eyes as Trowa snorted.

__

'Harder than we think, Duo,' he said. _'We may have to dig.'_

"Awww, nuts."

Heero chuckled. "Come on, then. Let's get this over with."

* * * * * * * * * * *

As they traversed through the seemingly endless miles of sand that was the Arabian desert, the only one of them that seemed genuinely happy was Quatre. He was smiling and practically bouncing in his stallion's saddle, a great smile on his face. His cloak was wrapped around his face to protect it from the stinging wind and the sand that flew along with it, but the others didn't fare so well. Duo had to keep spitting, as sand clogged his mouth and, as he put it, "Made me want to hurl." Heero had a stoic, expressionless look on his face, while Wufei outwardly grimaced and Trowa only watched the world around them with a wary eye.

"Trowa, I think that if someone was going to attack, we'd be able to see them miles away before they actually reached us," Duo snorted, spitting out a wad of saliva-covered sand from his mouth before grimacing. "I mean seriously. This place is flatter than a ten year old girl's chest."

__

'Our enemies have more tricks up their sleeve than we know, Duo,' Trowa retorted. _'They could be right behind us right now and we probably wouldn't know it.'_

At that, the braided teen turned around to see if there really was anyone behind them, and Quatre chuckled.

"I think he was just using it as an example, Duo," he said, grinning. The braided boy grumbled something unintelligible, and Shinigami whinnied loudly.

Wufei rolled his eyes, and then frowned. He brought one hand up to shield his eyes and stared across the sands at something he spotted in the distance. He frowned more deeply. "Quatre, what is that?" he asked, pointing. Quatre looked, shading his own eyes before frowning.

"That's the Pyramid of Rashid, a prophet of our people," he replied. "It's where he died, and that pyramid was erected in his honour. He was a great warrior as well as a prophet, and saved our people from the evil God Tsubarov. It is said that there is great magic within the Pyramid, but none have dared to go inside for fear of angering Rashid."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Do you think what we're looking for is in there?" he wondered out loud. Trowa glanced at him.

__

'It's possible,' he said.

"Then let's check it out!" Duo said, grinning. "As long as we don't have to dig, I'm all for it! And as long as we can get out of this gods-awful light and sand," he spat again, "I'm more for it then I am for sex!"

Wufei nearly choked and Quatre giggled. Heero gave him a weird look. "It's that bad?" he asked, sounding hurt. Duo looked at him.

"You're great, Heero, but frankly I'd rather get out of this sand than do the mattress mambo." At Wufei's suggestive cough, Duo glanced back over his shoulder at the other boy. "I gotta say this, though, Wu. You're better in bed than I initially thought!"

Wufei looked proud while the others shook their heads. "Let's just get this over with," Quatre muttered, rolling his eyes. Trowa only smirked.

* * * * * * * * * *

As they came upon the entrance to the pyramid, Quatre had a sudden sense of foreboding. He couldn't place where it came from, or who, but it was there, and it made him shiver. The feeling brought to mind all the tales he had heard of the wrath of Rashid, who had apparently killed anyone and everyone who had dared trespass on his final resting place or tried to steal from it. They had all died horrible, painful deaths, their punishment an eternity listening to Ed the Sock singing pop songs. (Note: if you live in Canada, you know who I am talking about!! If not, just watch Much Music. ^_^) They left their mounts outside, unable to bring them in, just in case some of the passages were too narrow.

Shinigami didn't like that and voiced her opinion in a blood-curdling scream, causing Duo to tell her to shut up or no treats for a month. She had quieted after that with only one protest.

SLAVE DRIVER.

"I don't think Rashid is pleased with us," Quatre whispered as he looked around nervously. A cold draft came from deep within the tomb, tossing his blonde hair about. "I don't like this. Not at all. I feel a dark presence…"

Duo looked at him and grinned in a feral way, violet eyes sparkling. "Well, if it comes after us it's gonna meet my scythe!" he told the blonde.

"And my triton!" Wufei added.

"And my sword," Heero said. Trowa only shrugged.

__

'I'll plant my foot up its ass.' Everyone stared at him and he shrugged again, only to smile at the grateful look Quatre gave him. 

"Thanks, guys," he said as they continued to walk deeper and deeper into the tomb. He looked around nervously. "You know, I have no idea where we're going in here…"

"That's okay, neither do we," Wufei grumbled back. Duo chuckled.

"Just follow the signs," he said rolling his eyes as though to say 'Well, DUH!'

Heero stared at him. "What signs?"

Duo thumbed at the wall, indicating a huge, red arrow and a pictorial description of what appeared to be the room where Rashid's coffin lay. It was in great detail, and boldly screamed (in Arabic letters of course) TREASURY.

The others sweatdropped as Duo continued to grin. Shenlong, who was still wrapped around Wufei's neck, let out a puff of smoke from her nostrils and rolled her eyes.

The Chinese boy nodded. "I agree…this is quite fucked."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Quatre made a face. "This is really fucked."

"I said that an hour ago," Wufei growled back as he stood with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. "You only realized it now?"

Indeed, they may have reached the location of the weapon in general, but somehow along the way they had gotten lost. So many twists and turns had twisted their brains about until they had no idea where they were any longer.

Heero scowled at Duo. "Follow the signs, huh?"

Duo gave the other boy an innocent look. "I only suggested; there's no law stating that you HAVE to do what I say." 

Heero clenched his fist but managed not to hit the braided baka on the head, even though he really, really wanted to.

__

'So where do we go from here?' Trowa asked, annoyed. 

Quatre frowned, looking up one hall and then back down, his face scrunched up. "I…I don't know," he finally mumbled, bowing his head.

"Oh, this is just GREAT," Duo growled, putting his hands on his hips as he began to pace, face pulled into a scowl. "Damn those signs! They were probably meant to lead us AWAY from the burial place!"

WELL, TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

"Shut up Shinni!" he snapped back. Shinigami whinnied and rolled her eyes. Trowa sighed.

__

'Either way, we must find the weapon,' he said. _'We cannot fail in this.'_

Quatre ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "I know, I know. So do we just, like…pick a direction and pray that we get there?"

"No," Heero said, frowning. "We must find a logical way to—"

A sudden roar shut him up faster than a slap. The walls reverberated as the sound echoed through the halls, causing all five boys to freeze. As the sound faded, all the boys looked at each other with fear in their eyes. They looked around warily, and Duo nudged closer to Wufei and Heero, his eyes wide.

"Holy shit…what the hell was that?" he whispered harshly.

"I've no idea," Wufei whispered back. "But I don't like it."

The floor abruptly began to rumble, vibrating almost painfully as the five teens all grabbed onto each other to keep their balance. Dust cascaded down from the ceiling, colouring their hair a sandy colour, as small stones hit the floor and rolled away. Quatre whimpered.

"What's going on?" he cried. The dark presence he had felt earlier returned full force, and he clutched his chest, gasping in pain. "Great Gideon!!"

A split appeared in the wall, running down it and across the floor as the earth heaved, sending the boys flying back into the wall. A large crevice made it's way between them all, separating Duo and Quatre from the others. Trowa's eyes widened.

__

'Quatre!'

Wufei and Heero both leaped toward them, but were stopped by a great wall of flame that roared up from the crevice, blocking them from helping the other two. Quatre screamed as Duo grabbed him and held him close, backing away from the flames as the earth rumbled more violently. The braided boy's eyes flashed green, and he bared his teeth as a very long, large tentacle rose up from the flaming pit, twisting and turning about in the air.

Wufei narrowed his eyes at the tentacle, drawing his sword. "What in the world—"

The tentacle spun quickly, seeming to focus on Duo and Quatre where they huddled a few feet away, watching it fearfully. It lunged forward, wrapping around them and squashing them together. Duo helped in pain and fear as Quatre let out a girly scream and hugged the braided boy's neck tighter.

The other three all shouted out in surprise and shock as the tentacle thing yanked the two boys forward, toward the crevice. Heero leaped forward, reaching out toward them as they were pulled into the flaming pit.

Unfortunately, he missed, and the last they heard of the other two were terrified screams and a horrific roar.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Duo and Quatre screamed as they were dragged down, down and down, down beneath the deepest level of the tomb. Their hair blew back from their faces as the tentacle hurled them toward the bright light it came from, which was getting closer and closer.

Hugging Duo's neck tightly, Quatre squeezed his eyes shut and screeched at the top of his lungs, causing Duo to flinch as he was right next to his ear. "AAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Fuckin Eurynome!" the braided boy cursed, reaching behind him to draw his scythe. His braid blew back up behind him as they dropped, and his hand gripped the staff end of his scythe tightly as they drew closer to the light. "Hold on Quatre! Here goes nothing!"

Bringing the scythe down in a sweeping arc, the blade cut through the grimy tentacle with a loud squishing sound as green-black blood sprayed everywhere. Somewhere below them, something screamed in agony as the tentacle fell apart and yanked away from them, allowing the two boys to free fall.

Quatre screamed again, but the sound turned into a yelp as Duo grabbed his hand and hauled him close. Spinning wildly, the braided teen brought his arm back, and then hurled it forward, the blade digging into the stone wall and sliding down. Leaving a long, jagged gash in the wall and a loud, painful screeching sound in their ears, the blade caught on an outcropping of rock. The two boys jerked slightly, yipping in surprise and fear as they dangled hundreds of feet above the swirling light, watching in nervous fear as the tentacle was sucked down and away, out of their sight.

Gasping, Duo kept his grip on the scythe firm as Quatre clung to him, whimpering in terror and shivering. The braided boy's eyes were as wide as saucers as they hung in space, the cavern seeming a lot larger than it had been before all of a sudden. "Well…" He trailed off, looking around as his voice echoed loudly. "At least we're alive, Quatre!"

Quatre only whimpered again. 

"What was that, Quat?"

The blonde looked up at him, blue eyes sparkling with tears. "I wanna go home."

Duo grinned wryly. "Don't we all…"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

They didn't know how long they hung there, but by the time they were both ready to move it seemed, to Duo at least, that it had been long enough. He winced. "Quatre, my arm is starting to hurt…we have to get down."

Clutching the other teen's neck tighter than ever, Quatre whined. "But we're gonna fall!"

"We're only going to fall if we DON'T move!" Duo snapped back, wincing again. "My damn arm is gonna fall off any second now, so either way we're gonna fall!!!" Looking down at the blonde head of hair right below his chin, Duo made a face. "Be a man, Quat! We can't let dangling two hundred feet in the air over a great roiling sea of light where a monster lives waiting to eat us alive get us down!"

The blonde made a face, giving Duo a weird look. "Well then let us fall then!" he snapped, annoyed and afraid. "You want to die so badly, be my guest!"

A feral grin crossed Duo's face and Quatre's stomach dropped in sudden terror. "Alrighty then!"

For the tenth or so time that night, Quatre screamed as Duo yanked his scythe out of the wall and allowed them to drop into the roiling mass of light where a monster waited to eat them alive below.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Quatre groaned, opening his eyes. He blinked rapidly a few times, trying to clear his blurry eyes and focus. The last thing he remembered was Duo letting go…his eyes widened.

"Duo?" he whispered, his voice echoing in the golden glow of the strange room. As he looked around for his friend, he saw that he was in a treasure room of a sort, much like Wufei's father's treasury. Only this place had a lot more, and a larger variety of jewels and expensive things.

Suddenly, he spotted his friend out of the corner of his eye, lying in a pile of gold and jewels, obviously unconscious. His eyes widened, and as he started forward he abruptly caught sight of something else.

The horror of all horrors was what lay between Quatre and his friend. A blood red monster, two stories high, was sprawled all over the island. It was a Unigon. This creature had the vicious temperament of a dragon, along with dragon claws, tail, wings, teeth, tongue and three horns, but it had a slightly equine shape. It had a thick, dished face, and a spindly central horn in the middle of its face, like a unicorn. Smoke poured from its wide nostrils, and the sickening wind was in fact its decaying breath.

Quatre was petrified. "Oh sure," he said quietly, "the warriors get the zombies and the ex-wives, and I, who has limited skills in fencing, gets the completely alive, fire-beast. Sods law, eh?"

He made a face, shook his head and squared his shoulders. Creeping as quietly as he could through the piles and small mountains of gold, Quatre only knocked a few coins out of place as he reached Duo, kneeling down next to the other boy. Placing a comforting hand on his neck, Quatre checked his pulse. Finding that it beat strong and regular, the blonde sighed in relief. The braided boy moaned softly, and Quatre's eyes widened as he bent his head closer to Duo's. "Hey, Duo…are you alright?"

Another low moan answered his question. "My head hurts," the other teen replied, sitting up with Quatre's help and rubbing his forehead. Blinking rapidly as Quatre had done, he frowned as he looked at their surroundings. "Where the hell are we?"

Quatre frowned. "I don't know, but I think it's Rashid's Treasure." As Duo opened his mouth, the blonde pressed his hand against the other's lips and nodded in the direction of the Unigon. "Shhh! We don't want to wake him up," he hissed. Duo nodded, and Quatre removed his hand from the braided boy's mouth.

There was a cruel rumbling laugh, and the pair froze. "I think you'll find you've already failed your first task, little thing," said the voice, "and if you didn't notice, he, is a she." 

Quatre swallowed the large lump in his throat and dared to turn. The beast now stood over them, its rancid breath bathing him in darkness, and thick black smoke pouring from its nostrils. Quatre gasped and Duo only gave the beast a shocked look.

"Damn." 

The beast laughed. "What were you expecting, boy, that we'd lay by and let you steal away our prizes?"

Quatre stared into those deep amber eyes and mentally shook himself. This was his task. If he could do, this, he could do anything. "I've er, come for the bow," he said meekly, but mentally cursed himself for it. Duo echoed his mental cursing by giving him a LOOK.

"BAKA! You don't TELL it that!" he hissed into the blonde's ear.

The Unigon snorted. "You hear that, Borok, he wants our bow... Borok?" The Unigon turned and eyed the bone enclosure. She snarled and flung out a back leg. The bones and corpses were flung into the lava, hissing and spitting as they melted. 

Quatre's eyes boggled at what he saw, but Duo's face remained unmoved. He had seen worse, though the blonde hadn't. 

Behind the cage there was a huge skull, and now that he looked at it, he could see the shape of a large Unigon, etched out in the border of the gold. The skull was solid gold too, with large ivory horns and teeth, and huge dark rubies for eyes. 

The Unigon snorted again. "Not a very talkative lad, Borok, but at least he's here," she said, and then with a wail, "You've untidied him!" 

She was quite right. Where Quatre had padded across the gold, he had knocked a few of the gold pieces out of place. The Unigon hurriedly scooped them back into place with her immense claws. Another tongue of flame erupted from her lungs. 

Quatre and Duo dived out of the way, rolling across the ground to turn back and face her once more. The Unigon laughed. "You must be wondering, they always do, why he is in such a state." She eyed them carefully, and noted the scowl on Duo's face, and the fear on Quatre's.

The blonde nodded slowly. The Unigon laughed. Her trap was working. "He's my mate," she said, and the look of surprise on both boy's face caused her to laugh. "Ah yes, Borok and Rahjou, together for eternity, they said. But I got angry with him, and now he won't talk to me. I can't stand the silence!" Rahjou let forth a blood curdling scream. 

Quatre watched carefully as she tossed her head about, and dashed forward towards the glowing bow. A huge paw appeared in front of him, and a head beside his own. "I know what you want, and I know you have more accomplices too," she hissed, her forked tongue flickering against his cheek. 

Duo growled, grabbing Quatre and pushing the blonde behind him protectively. "Lay off him!" 

Rahjou's tail flung out again and picked him up. She eyed Duo as he struggled in the powerful grip of her tail. "He talks, yes he does…but I don't like his words. However," she said, raising a burning claw to Quatre's face. It left an ugly purple shiny burn, but Quatre didn't dare move. Each one of Rahjou's twenty black claws was as long as he was tall, or longer. Her immense canine teeth were as thick was his arm was long, and twice his height at least. He didn't stand a chance. Rahjou purred gently, "But you'll talk to me, won't you? You'll let little old Rajhou speak, won't you, boy? This other one is too cruel, too cruel. He doesn't make good conversation." 

Quatre blinked at her, and slowly nodded. He didn't have a choice. Rajhou grinned and barked a laugh. "That's a good lad, eh? Now you sit down and I'll talk." Rahj's immense body fell to the floor, her paws around Quatre with Duo wrapped up in her tail. She lay her head down and stared at him. Quatre swallowed hard. 

"I'll stand if you don't mind." Rahjou shrugged. "If that's how you creatures are comfortable, then that's how you'll be." Rajhou grinned a sickly grin. Quatre sighed. This was definitely going to be harder than he thought. 

Looking at Duo, who was still wrapped up in the Unigon's tail, the blonde gave his friend a "Help me!!!" look, to which Duo replied with a "How the hell am I supposed to do that?" look of his own. Quatre winced as Rahjou talked…and talked…she didn't even notice that Quatre wasn't really listening as he and Duo exchanged silent conversation.

__

I'll distract her.

How?!

I dunno.

Oh this is just great.

Don't worry, we'll get through this. Just stay calm.

Hey! You're not the one breathing her nasty breath!

And glad I am that my fate isn't yours right now.

Fuck you!!

Duo frowned, seemed to think for a moment, and then grinned. Tapping the Unigon's tail, he caught her attention. She swung her head around to glare at him. "What does the little thing want?" she demanded in a low, angry voice. "Rahjou doesn't like to be interrupted."

The braided boy cupped his chin in his hand and leaned forward as best he could, a longing, gazing kind of look coming onto his face. "Do you know…how stunningly beautiful you are?" he whispered in a voice filled with awe.

Quatre and Rahjou both blinked in surprise. "What???" they echoed.

Duo's eyes never left the Unigon's face, and his voice turned silky and sweet as he continued, his voice soothing and casting a spell over Rahjou as she slowly began to release Quatre. "Yes…you are very beautiful. I've seen quite a few ancient creatures in my life, but you are the greatest of them all…those eyes, that textured skin…"

Rahjou leaned closer, cat-like eyes glittering. "Do you really think so?" she purred, unconsciously primping as she eyed the teen with new interest. Duo's eyes lit up.

"Of course! I have no reason to lie to you."

Quatre backed away slowly, watching the two as they drew closer, also noticing that Duo was inching his hand toward his scythe, which had been scooped up with him when the Unigon took him prisoner, via her tail. 

As Quatre's eyes landed on the weapon, they widened. Behind him, he could hear Duo selling Rahjou lie after lie about her beauty, as the Unigon leaned ever closer, loving all the compliments the braided boy threw in her face. 

"And wow, I've never seen such sharp and well-maintained fangs! How do you keep them so good?"

"Well, easier than you think, little thing. It's all in what you pick the meat out with…"

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Quatre scrambled up the mountain of jewels, slipping and sliding as he went, his eyes locked on the quiver filled with arrows and the bow that accompanied them.

Quatre gasped for breath, one hand reaching out to grab the weapon as he heard the Unigon muttering to itself behind him. 'I have to save Duo! We have to get out of here!' he thought as his hand closed on the bow and a bright light enveloped the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A sudden, bright beam of light erupted from the hole, and Trowa, Heero and Wufei all stepped back in surprise. The ground rumbled beneath their feet and dust fell from the ceiling in showers as the three teens covered their heads.

"What in the world was that?" Wufei demanded as the light vanished and the rumbling dissipated into nothing once more.

"I have no idea," Heero replied, staring at the hole fearfully. "But I don't like it."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"And so I ate that particular invader alive," Rahjou was saying as a loopy grin crossed her ugly face. "His bones were particularly sharp and his armour was perfect for dislodging meat particles…"

Duo continued to grin, his eyes bright with anticipation as the massive beast continued to talk, preening a little more as he laid into her with compliments. Suddenly, he paused in his mid-rant about her unequaled beauty. "Pardon me, milady," he said, leaning forward. "But I'm afraid I must tell you something vitally important."

"And what might that be, little thing?" the Unigon asked, expecting another compliment. Duo's grin widened.

"Quatre's got his weapon, you're gonna die," he sang softly, eyes bright with mocking laughter. Rahjou blinked, pulling back her head to look at the braided teen more closely.

"What?" she growled.

A loud, sharp whizzing sound erupted in the air, and the beast abruptly screamed in pain, rearing back and away from Duo. The braided teen's eyes narrowed and he let out a howl, bringing his scythe around to tear at the Unigon's tail. It severed and Rahjou screamed in pain again as Duo fell to the ground, rolling away from her massive frame as her foot came down and what was left of her tail lashed wildly about, spraying blood everywhere. Duo looked up to see what had hit her, and allowed a huge grin to cross his face.

A small, pure white arrow protruded from the neck of the Unigon, and blood gushed out around it as the beast whipped its head from side to side, roaring as it tried to dislodge the arrow from its flesh. Looking back over his shoulder, Duo caught sight of Quatre, standing atop the pile of treasure with the quiver slung over her shoulder, weapon held ready and prepared to let fly another arrow.

"Good shot, Quatre!" the braided teen yelled, waving.

Quatre grinned back wearily, eyes narrowing. "Yes, it was," he replied. Then, setting another arrow in, he said, "And here's another!"

He let fly the arrow and it impacted with the great eye of the Unigon, spilling blood this way and that and causing the beast to howl in agony. Duo's eyes widened as Rahjou slipped on the gold that littered the room, and he had to fling himself away to avoid being squashed as she fell to the ground with an earth-shattering thud.

Rolling away, Duo scrambled to his feet a moment later and ran to Quatre, who still stood atop the mountain of gold with another arrow set and ready to go. The blonde's eyes were narrowed as he stared at the Unigon's struggling form, as she writhed this way and that in an attempt to get to her feet, failing miserably. Looking at Quatre, Duo raised an eyebrow. "You ready for the final shot?" he asked quietly.

The blonde nodded, his jaw set. "Hai."

__

'I hate to kill…but this must be done.'

Pulling back on the string, the blonde teen took aim, the arrow pointing straight at Rahjou's chest, where her heart lay beating rapidly under thick layers of flesh.

__

'Gideon, make my aim true…'

As the arrow was loosed, a great white glow surrounded it and lightning flashed in the small cavern, bouncing from the walls to the airborne arrow as it zipped towards Rahjou's exposed chest.

Quatre closed his eyes. 

The arrow struck home, and the horrific roar of pain that followed nearly deafened the two boys as they fell to their knees, covering their ears to try and block the miserable shrieks of a dying beast.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Wufei paced, his hands clenching and unclenching as he walked alongside the hole in the ground, glaring into it as thought it was the cause of all his problems. It had nearly been four hours since Duo and Quatre had been pulled into the crater, and Wufei had finally had enough of waiting. Turning to Heero and Trowa, the Chinese boy's eyes flashed as he said loudly, "They should have been back by now! I'm tired of waiting. I'm going after them!"

Trowa frowned. _'It is not our fight, Wufei. Quatre must defeat the beast on his own. Duo was just unlucky to have been pulled along with him.'_

Heero sighed. "What if they didn't beat it?" he asked, looking at Trowa.

__

'Then we are all very, very fucked.'

Suddenly, a loud curse and a yelp of pain were heard from the hole, and all three boys paused and blinked. Turning toward the crevice, they rushed to the edge and peered in. Wufei's eyes widened.

"Duo!" he shouted.

A smile lit Trowa's face. _'I knew you could do it, Little One,'_ he said to the boy who was dangling from the wall like a weird spider, a bow and quiver full of arrows strung across his back. Quatre wrinkled his nose.

"Well thank you for your support but really, you could be helping us out here instead of gawking!!!" he snapped back.

To be continued…


	12. Author Note

For anyone who actually gives a damn about this story, I'm sorry but for the next little while it's being put on hold. I've completely lost myself with it, and I don't know what to do. The inspiration I had when I began it has deserted me, and I'm completely stuck. I also need to complete another story I've been working on for the past year. When that one is done I may come back to finish this one; right now, though, I don't know. I just don't know what to do with it.

I'm going to read through it again and try to find the idea that made me write it in the first place. I lost it a while back, and now…I just don't know what to do.

I also need to settle a few issues with myself. My mental health has been deteriorating rapidly the past little while, and my physical health is starting to follow it. No, I am not dying. But I'm sick at the moment, and have been getting sick a lot more than I used to. 

But anyway that's not the point.

The point is, I'm quitting this story for a bit. I need to rethink some things, get some new ideas, get better (mentally and physically), and finish that one damn fic I haven't finished yet.

So…my apologies to anyone who actually cares about this story. Maybe (by some odd stroke of luck) I'll get some inspiration or some new ideas (or maybe even remember the idea that spawned this will return…I wish!), and perhaps then I'll start writing this again.

Until then, take care of yourselves and keep reading!

If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, feel free to email me or review. Every little bit counts.

Thanks a lot.

Azreal/The Sadistic Cow


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